The US Senate has voted to end a partial 40-day government shutdown, approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - with the exception of immigration enforcement. The almost six-week funding lapse has seen knock-on disruption at US airports. Security workers' salaries are paid by the DHS, and hundreds have quit since the shutdown began.
Democrats had refused to agree to a funding deal without reforms to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, but the Senate reached unanimous agreement in the early hours of Friday after stripping ICE and parts of border protection out of the measure. The funding measures now face a vote in the House of Representatives.
It is hoped that the package can bring an end to widespread disruption at airports across the US, where travelers have faced hours-long queues due to a shortage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at security checkpoints. Around 50,000 agents at the TSA - which sits under the DHS - have been working without pay since mid-February due to the shutdown. This has reduced the number turning up to work each day and led to hundreds quitting.
A BBC reporter at Houston airport described a chaotic scene where travelers, after waiting in line for two hours, faced another long line at the security checkpoint. The airport is currently operating just one-third to 50% of its TSA checkpoints, according to Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System.
A few hours before the Senate vote, US President Donald Trump announced an executive order to immediately pay out TSA agents. Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized the situation, asserting that Democrats’ refusal to reach an agreement forced the funding to be approved in pieces.
Chuck Schumer, the Minority Leader, emphasized that the funding package would support the TSA, US Coast Guard, and FEMA, while advocating for accountability in ICE operations, following controversies arising from fatal shootings involving ICE agents in Minnesota. The Senate's funding package is now pending approval from the House.
Democrats had refused to agree to a funding deal without reforms to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, but the Senate reached unanimous agreement in the early hours of Friday after stripping ICE and parts of border protection out of the measure. The funding measures now face a vote in the House of Representatives.
It is hoped that the package can bring an end to widespread disruption at airports across the US, where travelers have faced hours-long queues due to a shortage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at security checkpoints. Around 50,000 agents at the TSA - which sits under the DHS - have been working without pay since mid-February due to the shutdown. This has reduced the number turning up to work each day and led to hundreds quitting.
A BBC reporter at Houston airport described a chaotic scene where travelers, after waiting in line for two hours, faced another long line at the security checkpoint. The airport is currently operating just one-third to 50% of its TSA checkpoints, according to Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System.
A few hours before the Senate vote, US President Donald Trump announced an executive order to immediately pay out TSA agents. Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized the situation, asserting that Democrats’ refusal to reach an agreement forced the funding to be approved in pieces.
Chuck Schumer, the Minority Leader, emphasized that the funding package would support the TSA, US Coast Guard, and FEMA, while advocating for accountability in ICE operations, following controversies arising from fatal shootings involving ICE agents in Minnesota. The Senate's funding package is now pending approval from the House.
