Senate Again Fails to Advance DHS Funding Bill as Shutdown Stretches Over a Month

Although about 96 percent of the federal government is funded, DHS has remained partially shut down since Feb. 13.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on March 19, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

For the fourth time, the Senate failed to move forward with a bill on March 20 to fund the Department of Homeland Security, extending a partial shutdown that has now lasted more than a month.

The latest procedural vote was 47-37 falling short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster, following similar failed attempts on March 12 and Feb. 24. Despite the broader funding impasse, agencies such as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remain funded through 2029 under last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The proposed legislation includes $5.7 billion for FEMA—$873 million more than fiscal year 2025 levels—excluding $26.36 billion designated for the Disaster Relief Fund.

It also sets aside $3.25 billion for the U.S. Secret Service, including $44 million for planning major upcoming events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, America250, and the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Funding for the Transportation Security Administration would total $7.96 billion, with $300 million dedicated to checkpoint screening systems. The bill also fully supports exit lane staffing, the Law Enforcement Officer Reimbursement Program, and the Canine Reimbursement Program, while allocating $13.9 million to reimburse airports for installing explosive detection systems.

Additionally, the measure provides $2.6 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, including $40 million to continue election security efforts funded in fiscal year 2024.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would receive $122.9 million, with $112 million going toward the E-Verify program and $10 million aimed at reducing application backlogs.

Although about 96 percent of the federal government is funded, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been partially shut down since Feb. 13.

Democrats have said they will not support a funding bill without changes to immigration enforcement policies, particularly those involving ICE. Their stance follows shootings in Minneapolis involving immigration agents that resulted in the deaths of two protesters.

They have outlined 10 conditions for supporting the bill, including limiting enforcement to targeted operations, requiring judicial warrants before entering private property, ending broad or indiscriminate arrests, strengthening warrant standards, verifying citizenship status before detention, and requiring agents to clearly identify themselves.

Other proposals include requiring officers to display their agency affiliation, last name, and a unique identification number, and to provide that information upon request. Democrats also want to ban enforcement actions at “sensitive locations” such as schools, churches, medical facilities, courts, child-care centers, and polling places.

Currently, DHS relies on administrative warrants, and federal immigration officers are not required to wear body cameras. However, outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently said agents in Minneapolis would begin using them.

Border czar Tom Homan has defended the use of masks by agents, citing a rise in threats against them and their families.

“I don’t like the masks either, but because threats against ICE officers are up more than 1,500 percent—and assaults and threats overall are up over 8,000 percent—these men and women need to protect themselves,” Homan said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Homan has also maintained that administrative warrants are permitted under federal law.

The Trump administration has not addressed several of the Democrats’ other demands, including restrictions on enforcement at certain locations.

Meanwhile, the White House and Republican lawmakers have dismissed the Democrats’ conditions. On Feb. 18, the White House rejected a Democratic counterproposal to fund DHS as “very unserious.”

The latest failed vote comes as DHS is set to be led by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who was nominated by President Donald Trump to succeed Noem. Mullin’s nomination advanced out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Thursday.