Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives on Friday dismissed a bipartisan Senate compromise aimed at ending a six-week partial government shutdown. This rejection raises concerns that travelers may continue to face lengthy security lines at US airports throughout the busy spring break period.
Instead of accepting the Senate’s proposal, the House plans to vote on a temporary measure to extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at current levels for two months, as announced by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson. This move is expected to prolong the ongoing stalemate.
Democrats in the Senate oppose a simple extension without significant restrictions on President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration enforcement policies, the core issue behind the shutdown. After passing its bill in the early hours of Friday, the Senate went into a two-week recess.
Johnson criticized the Senate bill, labeling it a “gambit” and a “joke,” and attributed the negative impact on air travel to Democratic opposition. Earlier, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer declared Johnson’s 60-day extension proposal “dead on arrival” in the Senate. Schumer emphasized that Democrats support funding critical homeland security functions but refuse to provide an unrestricted budget for what he described as Trump’s “lawless and deadly immigration militia” without reforms.
The Senate’s measure would reinstate funding for most DHS operations, including airport security screeners, disaster-response personnel, and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, all of whom have been working without pay since mid-February. However, the bill does not resolve the deeper conflict over immigration enforcement.
Notably, the legislation excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol, the agencies responsible for immigration enforcement. It also omits Democratic demands for new restrictions on immigration agents’ practices, such as prohibiting mask-wearing and mandating body cameras.
The shutdown has caused significant delays at airports nationwide, with many of the 50,000 security officers who have gone unpaid calling in sick or resigning. On Friday, airports in New York, Atlanta, and New Orleans reported exceptionally long lines. Baltimore authorities advised travelers to arrive at least three hours early as queues extended outside terminals.
Democrats, the minority party in both congressional chambers, have leveraged their limited influence to block DHS funding following the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis. They seek to impose limits on Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement, which has resulted in over half a million deportations and widespread disruption in US cities.
The partial government shutdown has not affected immigration enforcement activities, as ICE and Customs and Border Patrol continue to operate using separate funding from a comprehensive tax and spending bill passed by Republicans last year.
Republicans are expected to attempt securing new funding independently through a complex procedure designed to bypass Democratic opposition. However, it remains uncertain whether the party can maintain sufficient unity during an election year to succeed.
With Democrats sidelined in Washington, they have forced two government shutdowns in the past six months. Neither shutdown achieved their objectives, failing to secure expiring health subsidies last November and leaving the latest standoff unresolved on immigration enforcement.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has temporarily scaled back the confrontational and sometimes violent tactics that sparked mass protests in Minneapolis, Chicago, and other cities. Trump dismissed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this month. Her successor, former Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, has expressed support for some Democratic proposals, including limiting agents’ ability to enter homes without judicial warrants.
However, other Democratic proposals appear unlikely to advance. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, dismissed calls for agents to operate without masks as a “nonstarter.” Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas, Homan stated, “It’s not about reforming. It’s about crippling ICE. It’s about taking away their authorities.”
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine criticized Democrats for disrupting Congress’s annual funding process, weakening national security, and setting a precedent they may regret. She described Democrats as “intransigent and unreasonable” with their list of demands.
