The U.S. House of Representatives has been recalled to Washington to vote on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) amid nationwide airport travel disruptions.
The vote, which aims to fund the DHS, including its immigration agencies, through May 22, follows the rejection by Republicans of a Senate-passed deal to fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
TSA agents, responsible for security at U.S. airports, have gone without pay for over a month due to the congressional impasse, leading to significant delays at numerous airports.
The House bill faces dim prospects of becoming law, as Democrats are advocating for a halt to funding for DHS immigration agencies unless reforms are implemented.
The House is scheduled to vote on the measure late Friday. If it passes, it will proceed to the Senate for approval, although Democrats have already indicated their opposition.
With Congress poised for a two-week recess, the prospect of near-term funding for the DHS – encompassing TSA agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency – appears unlikely.
As the gridlock persisted, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to compensate airport security agents, many of whom have been working without pay, calling in sick, or resigning.
However, this action may encounter legal and political challenges, as the U.S. Constitution designates Congress as the authority for authorizing federal government spending.
Democrats have refused to endorse a funding agreement without reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while the Senate achieved unanimous agreement on a bill early Friday after removing ICE and portions of border protection from the measure.
House Republicans have signaled they will not support legislation that lacks funding for immigration enforcement and voter identification requirements.
“Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
But Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated on Friday that the House measure to temporarily fund the department would be “dead on arrival.”
“We’ve been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical Homeland Security functions – but we will not give a blank check to Trump’s lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms,” Schumer stated.
Hakeem Jeffries, the leading Democrat in the House, informed reporters that Democrats were “working to maximize our attendance” for the anticipated vote on Friday evening, according to CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. media partner.
Both Republicans and Democrats experienced attendance issues during a vote on Friday morning: Republicans had 11 absences, while Democrats had 9.
It was hoped that the new package passed by the Senate could resolve widespread disruptions at airports across the U.S., where travelers have faced hours-long queues due to a shortage of TSA officers at security checkpoints.
Approximately 50,000 TSA agents have been working without pay since mid-February due to the shutdown, leading to reduced attendance and hundreds of resignations.
A BBC reporter at Houston airport reported on Thursday night that, after waiting roughly two hours in a winding queue across one floor, weary travelers proceeded up an escalator, believing they had reached the end, only to encounter another lengthy line extending towards security.
Currently, only a third to 50% of TSA checkpoints are operational, according to Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System.
Hours before the Senate vote, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would sign an executive order “to immediately pay out TSA Agents.”
“Trump should never have had to step in to rescue TSA workers and US air travel,” said Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, addressing the chamber after the vote.
“We’re here because, thanks to Democrats’ determined refusal to reach an agreement, there will be no Homeland Security funding bill this year,” he said. “Instead… Republicans funded the Department of Homeland Security piecemeal. That is not the way to fund the department.”
Schumer stated that the package included funding for the TSA, U.S. Coast Guard, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
He told the chamber that “in the wake of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Senate democrats were clear: no blank cheque for a lawless ICE and border patrol.”
There has been increasing controversy over the actions of ICE agents, particularly in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where U.S. citizens Good and Pretti were fatally shot by federal agents during operations earlier this year.
Democrats are seeking to include measures in any DHS funding deal, such as ending the practice of ICE agents wearing masks, prohibiting racial profiling, and requiring judicial warrants before agents can enter private property.
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