With fewer than 48 hours remaining before funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to expire, Congress remains locked in a high-stakes standoff that could trigger a partial government shutdown.
At the center of the dispute is immigration enforcement. Senate Democrats have vowed to reject any fiscal year 2026 DHS funding bill unless it includes sweeping restrictions on how the department carries out immigration operations. Republicans, however, have pushed back forcefully, arguing that Democrats’ demands amount to political ultimatums that could jeopardize critical national security functions.
Importantly, a partial shutdown would not halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, as the agency received $75 billion in additional funding last year. Instead, other DHS components would bear the brunt of a funding lapse. Agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would face operational strain.
During a congressional hearing Wednesday, Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., warned that allowing DHS funding to lapse would not achieve Democrats’ stated objectives.
“No matter what Democrats do or say, immigration enforcement will continue,” Cole said. “But if they persist in holding government funding hostage to force their third shutdown in recent months, it will be other critical components of national security that will be harmed.”
TSA Deputy Administrator Ha McNeill told lawmakers that previous shutdowns have already left a lasting impact on agency personnel. Many TSA agents are still recovering financially from the record 43-day shutdown in recent years.
“Shutdown and funding uncertainties have real and measurable impacts on recruitment, retention, and employee morale,” McNeill testified. She also warned that a lapse in funding would delay critical technology upgrades, slowing efforts to modernize airport screening systems.
Under shutdown rules, “essential” federal employees — including TSA officers and certain FEMA, Coast Guard, and Secret Service personnel — must continue working without pay, while nonessential workers are furloughed. Although frontline missions like emergency response and national defense would continue, long-term capabilities could suffer.
Vice Admiral Thomas Allan, Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, outlined the consequences in prepared remarks. While life-saving operations would proceed, deferred maintenance, contractor payment delays, and supply backlogs would accumulate. Routine patrols, fisheries enforcement, and vessel safety inspections could also be suspended.
In response to the looming deadline, Republican leaders have proposed a four-week Continuing Resolution to buy additional time for negotiations. However, House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., has introduced a competing proposal that would fund all DHS agencies except ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot be abolished, but I will not provide a single dime of funding until we see radical changes in how it operates,” DeLauro said. Her proposal would also restrict DHS’s ability to shift funds internally to support ICE or CBP.
As the deadline approaches, both sides remain entrenched. House Republicans are frustrated with Senate efforts to reshape the funding package, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has expressed cautious optimism that a compromise may still be possible.
For now, however, the risk of a partial DHS shutdown remains very real — with the potential consequences extending far beyond immigration enforcement.
