type: timeline_event
The Department of Homeland Security entered a partial government shutdown as Congress failed to fund the agency by the end of Friday, with the two-week continuing resolution from late January having expired. Senate Republicans failed to advance full-year DHS funding legislation by a vote of 52 to 47, falling short of the 60 votes needed to clear a filibuster, with only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) joining Republicans. Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) then sought unanimous consent to pass a two-week stopgap bill, which was blocked by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) on behalf of Democrats, who made clear they would not accept another short-term bill without reforms.
The standoff stems from Democratic demands to restrict roving patrols, tighten parameters around warrants for searches and arrests, toughen use-of-force policies, and require ICE agents to wear body cameras and remove masks, following the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by DHS agents in Minneapolis. Republicans resisted nearly all changes and pushed for concessions like crackdowns on sanctuary cities. A senior White House official stated Democrats rejected the administration's latest counterproposal, saying "we will not be held hostage on an issue the president was elected on," while calling Democrats' demand to end arrests without judicial warrants "particularly challenging."
Despite two weeks of negotiations, the parties remained at an impasse, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying lawmakers should be ready to return from recess if a deal is reached. About 61,000 TSA employees must work without pay during the shutdown, with many living paycheck to paycheck. DHS retains significant resources including a $165 billion infusion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which gave DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wide-ranging power to move money around, with $75 billion allocated to ICE alone and $64 billion to CBP. The shutdown demonstrates Congress attempting to use its appropriations power to force executive branch accountability on immigration enforcement, though the administration's substantial existing funding undermines legislative leverage.