The Senate has partially funded the Department of Homeland Security following a 42-day stalemate — but there’s a catch.
More than six weeks after DHS was first shut down in mid-February, the Senate agreed in the early morning hours on Friday to fund key agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and most notably, the Transportation Security Administration. Although the funding agreement was long overdue, the Senate continues to withhold funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
‘Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis.’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) called the supplemental funding “unfortunate,” saying it is only prolonging policy disagreements Democrats continue to move their goal posts on.
“The Dems wanted reforms,” Thune said. “We tried to work with them on reforms. They ended up getting no reforms, but, you know, we’re going to have to fight some of those battles another day.”
The Senate greenlit this funding bill by a voice vote around 2:00 a.m. ET and is now headed into a two-week-long recess. The spending package is now on its way to the House.
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This funding was put through just hours after President Donald Trump ordered his new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to “immediately pay our TSA Agents.”
“Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday evening. “Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports.”
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Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” Trump added. “I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer.”
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