Senate Rejects DHS Funding Measure for Second Time as Shutdown Persists

Senate Democrats blocked a procedural vote on a Department of Homeland Security funding bill for the second time on February 24, 2026, extending a partial government shutdown that began on February 14.

The vote, which ended 50-45, fell short of the 60 votes required to advance the House-passed legislation, leaving the department without appropriated funds for fiscal year 2026.

The impasse centers on Democratic demands for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement practices, while Republicans push for the bill's passage without changes.

The shutdown affects agencies under DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service.

As of February 25, the lapse enters its 12th day, with essential personnel continuing to work without pay and non-essential operations curtailed.

DHS components have redirected resources to maintain core national security functions, but the prolonged funding gap has prompted specific cutbacks to conserve limited manpower and budgets.

On February 22, DHS implemented emergency measures effective at 6 a.m. Eastern Time to address the resource strain.

FEMA halted all non-disaster-related response efforts and entered emergency operating status, limiting activities to bare-minimum life-saving operations while pausing public assistance for ongoing or legacy disasters unless they involve immediate threats.

The agency also ceased non-essential activities, new initiatives, and non-emergency recovery work, along with halting non-essential travel and deployments.

These steps aim to prioritize imminent disaster responses, particularly with a significant winter storm forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States over the weekend.

Customs and Border Protection ended the Global Entry program, suspending all arrival processing at airports and reassigning officers to handle general traveler lanes. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can use primary processing lines instead.

CBP also suspended port courtesies, escorts, and tours for members of Congress to free up personnel for essential duties.

The Transportation Security Administration suspended all courtesy and special privilege escorts at airports, including those for members of Congress, to consolidate resources for core security screening.

TSA PreCheck remains operational, though staffing constraints may lead to adjustments.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues operations using funds from the fiscal year 2025 budget reconciliation package, which provided $170 billion primarily for ICE and CBP.

These funds, not classified as annual appropriations, do not expire for years and have allowed the White House to direct payments to certain personnel during the shutdown. The administration previously used similar funds to compensate law enforcement staff in prior funding lapses.

“This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“Shutdowns have real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security. The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians. TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts. FEMA will halt all non-disaster related response to prioritize disasters. This is particularly important given this weekend another significant winter storm is forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States. Added in the official Press Release.”

President Donald Trump addressed the shutdown during his State of the Union speech on February 24 evening, urging Democrats to restore funding. Senate Majority Leader John Thune scheduled another vote on the funding measure for February 25, as negotiations show no immediate signs of resolution.

The partial Government shutdown DHS funding remains confined, unlike broader lapses in previous years, but its effects ripple through airport security, border operations, and emergency preparedness nationwide.

DHS workers in critical roles, such as Coast Guard members and cybersecurity specialists, report for duty without compensation, while the department warns of potential delays in non-essential services like citizenship processing and infrastructure security assessments.