Partial Government Shutdown Ends, Teeing Up Debate Over DHS Funding

A funding bill to reopen temporarily shuttered parts of the government was passed by the House of Representatives and signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

The bill, which passed on a 217-214 vote, ensures full-year funding for most federal departments through the end of September, ending a four-day shutdown that began on Saturday, Jan. 31. The exception is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which had its funding extended only through Feb. 13.

The short funding window for DHS is intended to give lawmakers time to negotiate possible reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which both fall under DHS. If an agreement on further funding is not reached by then, DHS would be shut down, affecting the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The $1.2 trillion spending package was the result of negotiations between the White House and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and passed the Senate last week on a 71-29 vote. It includes funding for the Pentagon and the Education, Labor, and State departments. Funding for other federal agencies was approved earlier in January.

In a statement ahead of the vote on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reiterated the importance of coming to an agreement on long-term funding for DHS. “Let's hope that over the next two weeks we can negotiate and get this done,” he said. “[Democrats] say they want a real negotiation with President Trump and Republicans over immigration enforcement policy, and we are happy to have that debate.”