DHS faces funding bill crisis as Senate vote falls short 50-45, shutdown hits day 11

WASHINGTON, DC: The Senate was not able to move forward with funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The partial government shutdown has already lasted 11 days, and there is still no clear end.

The vote was 50 to 45, but that was not enough support to pass the plan. This was the second time senators tried to approve it. They had just returned to Washington after a week-long break, but they still had not reached an agreement on changes to federal immigration agencies.

No agreement yet on Homeland Security budget

Congress has not agreed on giving money to the DHS. The department no longer has all the funds it needs. DHS oversees important agencies like FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard, so many basic services could be affected.

The biggest disagreement is about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Democrats say they want changes in how these agencies work before they agree to release more money. This has made it hard to find a middle ground.

There was hope that a deal would be ready after lawmakers returned from their break. But that did not happen. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the White House and Republican leaders have not changed their position. He said, "So far we've heard crickets from them, nothing, they're not negotiating. They're just trying to pass paper back and forth with no real changes."

For now, immigration enforcement is not heavily affected because ICE and CBP received large funding amounts last year. On the other hand, the DHS initially announced it would pause TSA PreCheck, but later decided to continue it.

Even so, some programs like Global Entry and special escort services for lawmakers are temporarily on hold. Due to this shutdown, workers at TSA, FEMA, the Secret Service, and the Coast Guard were not expected to get their pay, as per CBS News.

The White House said it had been talking with Senate Democrats. Both sides had shared ideas over the past two weeks. However, they were still not close to a deal. Democrats said the administration was not fully involved in serious talks.

Immigration deal becomes more difficult after shooting of Alex Pretti

Trump previously signed a broad funding bill that ended the partial government shutdown. As per CBS News, the House passed the bill by a slim 217–214 vote. Some lawmakers from both parties broke ranks. Speaker Mike Johnson had difficulty securing enough votes at first, but he later persuaded several Republican members to support the measure.

Earlier in January, negotiators had reached a funding agreement, and the bill cleared the House with support from a small group of Democrats. However, the shooting of Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis changed the political mood. After that, Senate Democrats stepped away from the deal.

Republican lawmakers largely refused to accept the Democratic decision for changes to immigration enforcement. On the other hand, ICE remained mostly unaffected by the shutdown because it had already received $75 billion for border operations under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That funding was expected to last for years.