Senate fails to advance DHS funding as partial shutdown enters 11th day

2026-02-25 - 09:22

The US Senate failed to advance legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday as a partial government shutdown stretched into its 11th day, with lawmakers voting 50-45 against moving the H.R.7147 appropriations bill forward. The procedural defeat extends the funding lapse that began February 14 after Democrats blocked the measure, demanding reforms to immigration enforcement practices including banning mask use by ICE officers, requiring body cameras, and mandating visible identification following January killings of two Americans by agents in Minnesota. Trump's State of the Union Accusation President Donald Trump used his Tuesday State of the Union address to blame Democrats for the shutdown, telling the joint session: "As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security...They have instituted another Democrat shutdown." Trump claimed the funding lapse has weakened border security and hindered federal operations, arguing Democrats "closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers." He demanded "the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, homeland security of the United States." Continuing Impasse and Consequences The shutdown affects DHS components including ICE, CBP, the Secret Service, and FEMA, with essential workers facing unpaid labor and others furloughed. If prolonged, tens of thousands of federal workers could be required to work without pay while some agencies scale back staffing. The impasse continues despite the rest of government being funded through fiscal year 2026, leaving DHS as the sole unfunded federal department amid bitter partisan divisions over immigration enforcement oversight.