By a vote of 49-50, a vote to eliminate the formation of a future fund for lawfare victims of the Biden administration failed. The Senate GOP also managed to pass $70 billion for immigration enforcement funding through the DHS.
CR Bill
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Senate Republicans launched debate on their party-line immigration enforcement bill Wednesday — a major step after nearly two weeks of delay — but they are facing lingering internal concerns over a proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that could still scuttle the legislation.
Senators voted 53-46 on party lines to advance the bill, which would provide roughly $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other Department of Homeland Security agencies.
An updated bill released Wednesday omits $1 billion in Secret Service security funding that had been included in an earlier draft and could have been used for President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. POLITICO first reported the decision to drop the funding last month.
It also strips out Justice Department funding unrelated to the controversial settlement fund — a move that GOP leaders made in hopes of making it harder to include language restricting or eliminating the fund. Top Republicans have warned that adding such language could threaten to tank the overall bill.
“Right now, the goal is to get the base bill across the finish line, and so hopefully all of our members who have amendment ideas will … keep in mind the need that we’ve got to keep the bill together and make sure we’ve got 50 votes for it at the end,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.
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The move was in response to Republican opposition over the optics of taxpayers footing the $220 million bill for ballroom security and the Senate parliamentarian’s determination that the funding did not comply with rules of reconciliation, the filibuster-skirting process the party is using to bypass Democrats.
The updated text, released by the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of a procedural vote Wednesday afternoon to advance the bill, also removed additional funding for the Justice Department.
The roughly $70 billion measure centers on funding federal immigration agencies and the Department of Homeland Security through 2029 after Democrats blocked money for the agencies in government funding legislation earlier this year to protest Trump’s deportation agenda. It is known as the SECURE America Act.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said the bill ensures DHS funding can no longer be “held hostage by Democrats’ radical leftist agenda.”
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A bid to restore funding to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol has been derailed by rows over a $1bn proposal for security measures tied to Donald Trump’s White House ballroom and controversial plans to create a $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund.
The US Senate will not pass the $70bn legislation ahead of a 1 June deadline set by the US president, Republican senators told reporters on Thursday, as lawmakers leave Washington for the Memorial Day recess.
It comes amid backlash from members of Trump’s own party against an attempt to latch funding for his ballroom project on to the immigration bill.
The plan prompted intense anxiety among congressional Republicans, who feared diverting taxpayer dollars toward Trump’s “East Wing modernization project” amid mounting cost of living concerns across the US would risk alienating voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Some Senate Republicans have also expressed concerns about a plan, announced on Monday, to create a secretive $1.776bn fund – which critics have argued is essentially a slush fund – to compensate Trump allies as part of an agreement in which the president and his sons dropped a $10bn long-shot lawsuit against the US Internal Revenue Service.
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The Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday that major pieces of the GOP’s party-line immigration enforcement package do not comply with the chamber’s rules — a setback to Republicans racing to clear the bill this month.
The parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, found that four parts of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s portion of the legislation will need to be reworked — or risk Democrats forcing a floor vote on each provision that would be subject to a 60-vote threshold, according to a statement from Budget Committee Democrats Thursday night.
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The White House is warning lawmakers that funding used to pay personnel at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is close to being depleted, sounding the alarm about potential disruptions to airport security and other critical operations if Congress does not act soon.
In a memo sent late Tuesday, the Office of Management and Budget cautioned that stopgap funding measures used to cover payroll for agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) could be exhausted as early as May. The administration urged the House of Representatives to move quickly on a budget resolution already approved by the Senate, describing the situation as increasingly urgent.
“DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk,” the memo stated.
The warning comes as the House faces internal divisions that have slowed progress on legislation aimed at restoring full funding to the department. Speaker Mike Johnson is navigating disagreements within his narrow Republican majority, leaving the chamber largely stalled on several key issues, including the Homeland Security budget.
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Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that language in a Homeland Security funding bill the Senate passed unanimously near three weeks ago is “problematic” and will have to be changed to pass the House.
The bill as written, Johnson said, would “orphan” funding for key immigration enforcement agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Passage of that measure is part of a two-track DHS funding approach that won President Donald Trump’s endorsement but has faced skepticism from some conservative hard-liners.
The failure of the House and Senate GOP to align on a plan threatens to further delay the passage of DHS funding, even after Saturday’s attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“It has some problematic language because it was haphazardly drafted,” Johnson told reporters of the Senate-passed bill. “We have a modified version that I think is going to be much better for both chambers.”
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As of April 20, the DHS reported that 830 TSA officers had quit due to the lapse in funding, according to Politico. In the last eight days, another 300 handed in their notices.
The latest figure is roughly the same number of TSA employees who departed the agency during the historic 43-day government shutdown last fall.
With the current shutdown, airport security is especially taking a toll and could have a serious impact on air travel as the nation hosts the FIFA World Cup and the semiquincentennial this summer.
Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pay TSA employees until a funding deal comes to fruition. However, the money could run dry if the shutdown lasts much longer.
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Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) says Republicans should “nuke” the Senate’s filibuster rule if Democrats continue to block Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding after the third assassination attempt against President Trump, citing “a moment of national danger.” Johnson acknowledged in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that Republicans would want…
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Republicans in the upper chamber are ramping up the pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to swiftly approve a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), arguing that tens of thousands of federal workers could miss paychecks next month if the House delays much longer. Senate Majority Leader John Thune…
Using a procedure called “budget reconciliation,” the GOP-led house finally passed a bill funding ICE and Border Patrol through President Trump’s current term. The bill now goes to the House, where it is expected to barely pass, before it gets to the final passage stage.
Senate Republicans Secure ICE Funding In Late-Night ‘Vote-A-Rama’– trendingpoliticsnews.com
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Senate Republicans pushed a border-enforcement funding plan over the finish line in the early hours Thursday, advancing a measure aimed at bolstering U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol through the remainder of the Trump administration.
Using the budget reconciliation process, which allows certain legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority, the chamber adopted the bill shortly after 3:30 a.m. Eastern following roughly six hours of debate, CBS News reported.
The overnight session featured a “vote-a-rama,” a fast-moving marathon in which senators offer amendments that receive limited debate and must be voted on.
The measure passed 50-48, with Democrats voting no. Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against it, according to the Senate roll call. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa did not vote.
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In the early hours of Thursday morning, Senate Republicans did what Democrats have spent months refusing to do: fund the men and women enforcing America’s immigration laws.
The chamber adopted a budget blueprint 50-48 after an all-night marathon of amendment votes known as a “vote-a-rama” that stretched past 3:30 a.m. It was a hard-fought win that moves the country one step closer to ending a self-inflicted Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown that Democrats have done nothing to resolve.
The vehicle is budget reconciliation, a parliamentary process that lets legislation clear the Senate with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes Democrats have used to block immigration enforcement funding at every turn. The goal is to unlock roughly $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) up front, with the full framework potentially reaching $140 billion through the end of President Trump’s term.
Republicans aren’t apologizing for the urgency. They’ve seen what happens when Democrats get power, and they have no intention of leaving the border undefended the next time it happens.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich raised concerns on Tuesday about a provision in the latest Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, asking why Senate Republicans allowed a section that is “totally inappropriate.”
The Senate approved a funding deal Friday that excluded money for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol using unanimous consent, while the House later narrowly passed a stopgap bill funding all of DHS, including immigration enforcement, through late May. Speaking on “Kudlow,” Gingrich said the provision appears problematic.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated Monday that the Trump administration is considering withdrawing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from international airports located in sanctuary cities.
In an interview with Fox News, Mullin said he would “take a hard look” at this measure to punish cities that ban cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, arguing that such municipalities are not lawful and should not receive federal benefits like customs processing while refusing to enforce immigration laws.
House Republicans on Friday blasted the Senate’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding deal with Democrats and signaled they will refuse to bring it to the floor, deepening a standoff that is already disrupting airports and federal operations.
The rejection sets up a continued impasse as Washington heads into a two-week recess with no clear resolution in sight.
- Trump Live Updates: TSA Pay to Resume, but ICE Could Remain at Airports, Homan Says The New York Times
- How Trump is paying TSA, briefly explained Vox
- Major US airports return to normal as TSA workers get paid Reuters
- Atlanta TSA employees begin receiving back pay. Future pay remains uncertain. AJC.com
- TSA officer absence levels still elevated at some airports, even as workers begin to receive back pay CBS News
The biggest argument against democracy is five minutes with the average voter. The Democratic Party might be making that argument stronger. I’ve never seen a party push to eliminate elections and voting the way Democrats have in this fight over Department of Homeland Security funding.
Yes, this stubbornness over funding a key agency that’s been shut down since Presidents’ Day weekend is more about anti-Trump hysteria, but it also reflects the Democrats’ long-term goal of defunding ICE. Republicans understand this — that’s why they funded the agency through 2029 during the first reconciliation.
With TSA agents quitting due to lack of paychecks, the Democrats believe hurting regular people to get their way will work. We’re dealing with legislative terrorists. I was hesitant about ending the filibuster, but I am now leaning entirely toward it because Democrats want unrealistic concessions, and shutting down DHS over deportation disputes isn’t a valid argument.
DHS funding deal is falling apart.
Senate GOP offered to fund all of DHS, except ICE’s deportation wing (ERO).
Dems just countered and demanded additional concessions, they want major ICE reforms (unmasking, judicial warrants, etc).
GOP says why would we agree to reforms for…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 25, 2026
Yesterday morning Republicans sent a simple three-page amendment to the Democrats that removed ERO language from the bipartisan DHS bill and added language to ensure employees receive backpay. All of the original reforms are still included in the bill. All of the other original…
— Ryan Wrasse (@RWrasse) March 25, 2026
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently experiencing the longest wait times in the history of the United States as the ongoing Democrat-led shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) drags through day 40.
As of March 25, the shutdown stands as the second longest in U.S. history when partial and full shutdowns are considered together, second only to last year’s Democrat-led full government shutdown.
The impasse centers on appropriations for DHS agencies, including the TSA. Senate Democrats have blocked multiple attempts to advance full-year funding bills for the department, which would include operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection.
Ha Nguyen McNeill, the top official at the TSA, is testifying about the dire air travel situation before the House Homeland Security Committee, where she is calling on Congress to fund DHS and “ensure this never happens again.”
McNeill said the TSA has already lost more than 480 transportation security officers during this shutdown, while callout rates have accelerated. At some airports, 40 to 50% of their workforce is calling out of work on certain days, she said.
“This has led to the highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than four and a half hours,” McNeill said. “We are being forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports if we do not have enough officers. It is a fluid, challenging and unpredictable situation.”
Democrats have once again refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has been subjected to a lengthy 39 day shut down due to their unwillingness to come to the bargaining table.
Thune on DHS funding: Democrats have in front of them a proposal with legislative text that would allow us to get, DHS back and opened up again. And it is essentially what the Democrats have been asking for. And so, we’re going to have an opportunity to, to vote on that. And I…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) March 24, 2026
The now former Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) has been confirmed by the Senate in a 54-45 vote to take over as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security. He takes over for Kristi Noem, who was reassigned to a South America project.
The Governor of Oklahoma, Republican Kevin Stitt, has chosen an energy executive, Alan Armstrong, to take the now-vacant seat. Stitt said of his selection, “He’s a strong business leader who understands the power of free markets and limited government. He’s spent his career fighting for Oklahoma’s energy industry and providing affordable, reliable energy to all of America.”
Oklahoma governor names political outsider to replace Markwayne Mullin – theblaze.com
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma went outside the world of politics to fill the Senate seat of newly confirmed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
On Tuesday morning, Stitt tapped energy executive Alan Armstrong following Mullin’s Senate confirmation Monday night. Mullin is now set to be sworn in Tuesday afternoon to replace current DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who leaves the department on March 31.
More details and responses have emerged after tragedy struck New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night.
Blaze News previously reported that an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane operated by regional partner Jazz Aviation struck a Port Authority Airport Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident.
‘I feel like the pilots saved our lives.’
The incident, which occurred between approximately 11:40 p.m. and 11:47 p.m. on Sunday, according to multiple official sources, was likely caused by “multiple failures,” according to a lead investigator.
An air traffic controller could be heard saying, “I messed up,” shortly after the incident, which killed both pilots and hospitalized 41 other people, including the two workers in the emergency vehicle involved in the collision.
RELATED: ‘I messed up’: LaGuardia Airport shut down after deadly collision
The air traffic controller was coordinating the response to another, unrelated issue with a United Airlines flight across the tarmac. There were reports of a strange odor.
“I don’t think we should make any deal with the Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats unless, and until, they Vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,’” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday night. “It is far more important than anything else we are doing in the Senate, and that includes giving these same terrible people, the Dems (who are to blame for this mess!), a Five Billion Dollar cut in ICE funding, a deal which, even when disguised as something else, is unacceptable to me and the American people – UNLESS it includes their approval of Voter I.D., (with picture!), Citizenship to Vote, No Mail-In Voting (with exceptions), All Paper Ballots, No Men In Women’s Sports, and No Transgender MUTILIZATION of our precious children.”
The president then urged Senate Republicans to combine all of those bills and amendments into one piece of legislation, eliminate the filibuster, and skip their two-week Easter recess, due to start at the end of this week, if needed to pass it.
Trump also warned Republicans against voting to strike down what is now slated to be a massive bill.
“Let Leader Thune clearly identify those few ‘Republicans’ that are Voting against AMERICA. They will never be elected again!” he added.
Senate Democrats spent five weeks playing hardball over funding the Department of Homeland Security. Now, with ICE agents winning over airport travelers and key Republicans strategizing with the White House, it looks as if Democrats are starting to cave.
According to a new report from Punchbowl News, Democrats are signaling they might accept a deal — one that funds most of the department, but carves out ICE migrant removal operations. Republicans, rather than folding, are preparing to fund those ICE operations themselves through a party-line reconciliation bill.
For the first time in more than a month, there’s optimism that the Senate and the White House can finally find a path to reopening the Department of Homeland Security. Key Senate Republicans returned from the White House late Monday with a noticeably upbeat demeanor over the state of the talks with President Donald Trump, who had just rebuffed a GOP-backed off-ramp.
The framework under discussion would fund all of DHS except for ICE’s migrant removal operations, and could eventually include some reforms that Democrats have been demanding.
Republicans would then try to fund the rest of ICE via a party-line reconciliation bill.
The Air Canada pilot and co-pilot killed in Sunday night’s horrific collision between a regional jet and emergency vehicle have been identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther.
UPDATE: Pilot, Co-Pilot Confirmed Dead After Horrific Airplane Collision At LaGuardia Airport
“The two pilots were flying an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 regional jet operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner,” Fox News reports.
Gunther was the first officer alongside pilot Forest.
Antoine Forest identified as one of the Air Canada pilots killed in LaGuardia plane crash https://t.co/8yw8dHDWNi pic.twitter.com/5mJpoyhsGF
— New York Post (@nypost) March 23, 2026
Delta Airlines is taking a stand against the Democrats’ ongoing shutdown. The Atlanta-based carrier is ending a perk for members of Congress until they do their jobs and fully fund the TSA.
Atlanta’s Delta Airlines announced this week that it is suspending its stand-alone service for members of Congress until the TSA is fully funded. #gapol https://t.co/UDxZFZ0Dgw
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 24, 2026
You read that right. The same members of Congress who have failed to fund the TSA for the last six weeks may or may not be waiting in the unimaginably long security lines they’re causing. They don’t all use the perk, but according to Cornyn, they do all have the option.
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That perk is just one of a bundle that have made flying a lot easier for the frequent flyers in Congress, who often are on an airplane twice a week or more commuting to Washington and back.
Along with skipping the lines, some members of Congress also request local police escorts to their gates. And they all get access to major airlines’ dedicated Congressional service desks to book trips, make last-minute changes, and even reserve seats on one, two or three flights on the same day, depending on congressional vote schedules.
In regular times, these could be seen as prudent security measures for high-profile flyers or simply good customer service for some of the airlines’ best customers. But taken together, they also inoculate Congress from the chaos Washington is causing.
Apparently just as fed up as the rest of us, Atlanta’s Delta Airlines announced this week that it is suspending its stand-alone service for members of Congress until the TSA is fully funded.
“Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,” the statement read. “Next to safety, Delta’s No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment.”
Senate Republicans are scrambling to break the five-and-a-half-week partial government shutdown, floating a plan to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security while cutting out some of the most politically charged immigration programs, according to senior GOP sources familiar with the talks.
The framework began to take shape after a White House meeting late Monday and is expected to dominate discussions at Tuesday’s GOP Conference luncheon on Capitol Hill.
The Democrats’ partial government shutdown just crossed the one-month mark, and Americans trying to catch a flight are paying the price. Security lines stretch for three hours or more, and workers aren’t getting paid.
The shutdown started on February 14, when Democrats blocked a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, as a form of protest against immigration enforcement. And now, Elon Musk is stepping in to do what Democrats apparently can’t. While Democrats and Republicans duke it out, roughly 64,000 TSA employees are classified as essential workers — meaning they’re required to show up every single day, paycheck or not.