Late night Senate vote puts DHS shutdown one step closer to largely ending
Quick Insights
The Bottom Line
Senate passed bill to reopen most of DHS except immigration enforcement agencies, ending a 42-day shutdown.
How This Affects You
The shutdown's widespread airport security disruptions and missed paychecks for hundreds of thousands of national security workers may end.
AI Summary
The U.S. Senate voted unanimously early Friday to reopen most Department of Homeland Security agencies except immigration enforcement operations, advancing efforts to end a 42-day shutdown that has disrupted airport security and withheld paychecks from hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Senate Minority Leader John Thune initiated the motion to fund DHS sub-agencies through September after President Trump announced plans to pay TSA workers through executive order, a move Thune sought to circumvent through traditional appropriations. The bill now goes to the House, where negotiations will shift to the two remaining flashpoints: Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which have stayed operational thanks to $75 billion in funds from the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Democrats have demanded substantial reforms at those agencies following killings of U.S. citizens during enforcement operations in Minnesota, but Republicans and the Trump administration have resisted their demands.
What's Being Done
President Trump announced he will direct DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to begin paying TSA workers via executive order.
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US Senate passes funding package for Homeland Security that excludes ICE
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<p>The deal would mean TSA staff, who screen airport passengers, baggage and cargo, would start being paid for the first time since mid-February</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&utm_campaign=BN22326&utm_content=signup&utm_term=standfirst&utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox</a></p></li></ul><p>Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.</p><p><strong>The Senate has ended a budget standoff that has forced thousands of airport security staff to work without pay and caused long delays at airports.</strong></p><p>Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump’s rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms.</p><p><strong>US markets saw their biggest slump since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran</strong> ...
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