DHS shutdown ends after 76 days

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

After weeks of delay, the U.S. House finally approved the Senate’s legislation reopening the Department of Homeland Security.

Once President Donald Trump signs the legislation, the 76-day DHS shutdown will end and all agencies except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol will receive full annual funds.

“The House passing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill is an important step toward protecting our nation and keeping critical agencies operational,” U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., posted after the vote.

“But there's still work ahead. ICE and CBP were left out, and that must be fixed. Securing our homeland requires a fully funded DHS across the board, and House Republicans will continue working to get the job done.”

The Thursday adoption of the hybrid FY 2026 Homeland Security appropriations bill comes a day after the House adopted the Senate’s blueprint for a budget reconciliation bill to provide annual ICE and CBP funding for the next three years.

House Republicans had been waiting for actionable progress on budget reconciliation before agreeing to the Senate’s plan of funding ICE and CBP separately from the rest of DHS

Using a filibuster-proof budget reconciliation bill to provide advance annual funds for federal agencies is highly unorthodox.

But it allows Republicans to secure immigration enforcement funding without having to comply with Democrats’ list of policy ultimatums.

“Democrats got absolutely nothing for their political charade and shenanigans,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. “In spite of our razor-thin, historically small majority, House Republicans continue to deliver for the American people.”