**Excerpt:** The Senate has initiated steps to fund the Department of Homeland Security, while President Trump pledges to ensure all workers receive payment during the ongoing shutdown.
Key Points:
– President Trump announced plans to pay all DHS employees amid the shutdown.
– The Senate advanced a funding measure, but the House has yet to act on it.
– Funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains a contentious issue.
– The House is on recess until April 13, complicating immediate funding solutions.
– Republicans plan to pursue a reconciliation bill to secure funding for immigration enforcement.
Senate Progress on DHS Funding
On Thursday, President Trump stated he would sign an order to ensure payment for all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees as Congress began efforts to reopen most of the department. Trump announced via Truth Social, “I will soon sign an order to pay ALL of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security.”
Funding Clarity
The exact source of the funding remains unclear. Employees from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and active-duty Coast Guard members are currently receiving pay. Last week, Trump signed an executive order to ensure TSA agents were compensated during the partial government shutdown.
Senate Action
Earlier on Thursday, the Senate took initial steps to fund the majority of DHS. Senate Majority Leader John Thune introduced a measure to the House that both Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed upon, which would fund all of DHS except for ICE and parts of CBP. However, the House did not act on the Senate bill, leaving the DHS shutdown ongoing until at least Monday. Most lawmakers are on recess until April 13.
Political Divide
Democrats have resisted funding for DHS’s immigration enforcement following two fatal shootings involving federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. After negotiations faltered over reforms to ICE, the Senate proceeded with a plan to fund most of the department. However, opposition from conservative House members led Speaker Mike Johnson to reject the Senate’s plan, proposing instead a temporary funding measure for all of DHS.
Future Funding Strategies
On Wednesday, Trump urged lawmakers to include funding for ICE and Border Patrol through a reconciliation process, allowing Republicans to advance a bill without Democratic support. Thune and Johnson later announced plans to pursue three years of funding for immigration enforcement agencies through reconciliation, while also seeking to approve other necessary funding.
Thune expressed uncertainty regarding the House’s strategy for passing the DHS funding bill but hoped for progress. He noted, “There are just limited options,” and emphasized the need for a feasible path forward.
Once the bulk of DHS receives funding, Republicans will focus on reconciliation, aiming to have the bill ready for the president by June 1. Thune stated that the Senate would act quickly, prioritizing funding for ICE and CBP while attempting to keep the legislative package streamlined.
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