Fate of DHS funding uncertain as US Congress Republicans decide next steps

By Richard Cowan and David Morgan

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - Federal funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security remained in limbo on Thursday despite the Senate clearing the way for the House of Representatives to pass legislation that would end a nearly seven-week partial shutdown.

Meanwhile, lawmakers got some breathing room, after President Donald Trump announced that he will use his executive powers to temporarily pay all DHS workers while Congress searches for a way to pass a bill with funding through September 30, the end of this fiscal year.

This follows Trump's action last week to temporarily pay Transportation Security Administration airport passenger screeners.

The Senate bill awaiting House action provides no additional funding for immigration law enforcement activities that already are robustly funded.

The House held a brief session without acting upon legislation that was passed by the Senate late last week. It is next scheduled to meet on Monday.

Also, House Speaker Mike Johnson was set to hold a call with his rank-and-file on Thursday to discuss next steps.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, speaking to a near-empty chamber early on Thursday, cleared the way for progress on ending the DHS funding fight by formally killing a 60-day, stopgap bill that had been passed by the House but had no chance of passing the Senate.

Senate and House Republican leaders announced on Wednesday that they had reached a deal to finally end the DHS shutdown. But it was unclear whether House Republican rank-and-file would support that agreement.

House passage of the Senate bill would send it to President Donald Trump for signing into law.

Even with Trump's temporary payments to all DHS workers, Congress still has to figure out a way to fund DHS operations for workers at an array of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Coast Guard.

Two problems remain at the heart of this spending fight, which has been raging almost since the start of Trump's second term that began on January 20, 2025.

Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House, want to ensure that large amounts of federal dollars will be available through the end of Trump's presidency to execute his aggressive migrant deportation program.

That requires significant funding for immigration law enforcement agencies at DHS, including money for additional detention facilities for the migrants Trump wants to have under arrest while awaiting deportation or possible release.

Senate Leader Thune told reporters Republicans will try to accomplish this through a rarely-used and complicated procedure that would circumvent any Democratic opposition.

It is unclear whether this foray will be allowed under Senate rules for multi-year funding of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Democrats have demanded new constraints on ICE and CBP agents carrying out Trump's aggressive migrant deportation program.

Republicans who control Congress and the White House have refused to allow any of those constraints to be written into law.

Those included requirements that immigration agents shed masks that conceal their identities, wear body cameras and obtain judicial warrants to enter private homes. Democrats also want to end agents' practice of lurking at churches, hospitals and schools in an effort to find migrants and their children.

Democrats mounted this initiative after two U.S. citizens were shot dead in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents earlier this year and protests over the Trump administration's deportation policy escalated in cities throughout the United States.

Aides to Johnson were not immediately available for comment on next steps the House will take to break the DHS funding logjam.