Trump Signs Homeland Security Funding Bill, Ending Record 76-Day Shutdown

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed bipartisan legislation restoring funding to most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending a 76-day partial shutdown that became the longest agency funding lapse in U.S. history.

The House approved the measure earlier in the day by voice vote, without a recorded roll call, and the president signed it shortly afterward. The Senate had passed the bill without opposition last month, but it stalled in the House amid a revolt by some Republicans.

What the Bill Covers

The legislation funds the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, among other components. It does not cover the department’s immigration enforcement operations, which lawmakers moved onto a separate legislative path earlier this week. That decision cleared the way for the rest of the funding package.

DHS had been without regular appropriations since Feb. 14. Much of the administration’s immigration agenda, the core of the dispute, continued to be financed through other sources during the lapse.

Pressure Mounted on Travel

The White House had warned that temporary funds the administration had tapped to pay TSA officers and other personnel would soon run out, raising the prospect of new disruptions at airports. Department employees also faced the risk of missed paychecks in May. During the shutdown, the administration had dispatched immigration agents to some airports to assist unpaid TSA screeners.

“It is about damn time,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who proposed the bipartisan bill more than 70 days earlier.

Origins of the Standoff

The impasse began after a deadly federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis prompted a reckoning on Capitol Hill over the money flowing to the administration’s enforcement agenda. Democrats sought new limits and oversight on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while many Republicans resisted separating immigration funds from the broader department budget.

The department, which employs about 260,000 people, has also undergone leadership turnover during the standoff. Trump removed Kristi Noem as secretary and installed former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who was confirmed in March.

What Comes Next

The separate measure covering immigration enforcement is expected to face a contentious path in Congress. The episode followed a brief, four-day shutdown of the broader federal government that ended Feb. 3.

Federal employees who worked without pay during the lapse are entitled to back pay under a 2019 law guaranteeing compensation after shutdowns.