Senate Approves Bill to End Homeland Security Shutdown, But House Delays Action

Trump says he will sign order to pay all DHS employees, as partisan divide continues over immigration enforcement funding

Apr. 3, 2026 at 7:35pm

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A warm, cinematic painting of an empty government office space with a lone desk and chair in the center, bathed in diagonal sunlight and deep shadows, conveying a sense of political gridlock and bureaucratic inertia.The prolonged political stalemate over homeland security funding leaves federal workers in limbo, their desks sitting empty as the government shutdown drags on.Minneapolis Today

The U.S. Senate approved legislation on Thursday that would end the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, sending the same bill it passed last week to the House. However, the House did not take any action during a brief session, prolonging the shutdown. President Trump later said he will soon sign an order to pay all DHS employees, though details remain unclear. The Senate-passed bill would provide funding for most DHS agencies except Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol, which Democrats have refused to approve without new restrictions.

Why it matters

The ongoing DHS shutdown highlights the deep partisan divide in Congress over immigration enforcement, with Democrats refusing to approve any new funding for ICE and Border Patrol without additional oversight and accountability measures. This stalemate has left thousands of federal workers without paychecks and disrupted critical homeland security functions, raising concerns about public safety and national security.

The details

The Senate bill would ensure funding for agencies like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Coast Guard, FEMA, and Secret Service, but not for ICE and Border Patrol. Senate Republicans had hoped to pass a reconciliation package to boost immigration enforcement funding, but Democrats have vowed to block any such efforts. President Trump's promise to sign an executive order to pay DHS employees could provide temporary relief, but the underlying political impasse remains unresolved.

  • The Senate approved the DHS funding bill on Thursday, April 3, 2026.
  • The House held a brief session an hour after the Senate vote but did not take up the legislation.
  • Congress is currently on a two-week spring break, with members not scheduled to return until April 14.

The players

John Thune

Senate Majority Leader, a Republican from South Dakota.

Chuck Schumer

Senate Minority Leader, a Democrat from New York.

Mike Johnson

Speaker of the House, a Republican from Louisiana.

Eric Schmitt

A Republican Senator from Missouri.

Donald Trump

The President of the United States.

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What they’re saying

“The deep division and dysfunction among House Republicans is needlessly extending the DHS shutdown and hurting federal workers who are missing another paycheck.”

— Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader

“To my Democrat colleagues, this bill is the moderate option. What's coming next is going to supercharge deportations.”

— Eric Schmitt, Senator

“I will soon sign an order to pay ALL of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security.”

— Donald Trump

What’s next

The House is expected to take up the Senate-passed DHS funding bill when members return from their spring break on April 14. However, the partisan divide over immigration enforcement funding remains a major obstacle to resolving the shutdown.

The takeaway

The ongoing DHS shutdown underscores the deep political polarization in Congress over immigration policy, with Democrats refusing to approve any new funding for ICE and Border Patrol without additional oversight measures. This impasse has left thousands of federal workers without paychecks and disrupted critical homeland security functions, raising concerns about public safety and national security.