NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Senate is once again poised to enter another government shutdown as Democrats are angry over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.
But despite the Senate minority leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y. and demands from Senate Democrats to shelve the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, the agency’s immigration enforcement apparatus is flush with cash thanks to Republican efforts last year with “a big, beautiful bill” from President Donald Trump.
There are, however, other vital government functions under the DHS umbrella that, in the event of a partial government shutdown next Friday, would suffer.
THUNE STEAMROLLS DEMS DHS REVOLT AS FETTERMAN FAULTS, SCHUMER UNDER PRESSURE
Senate Democrats are ready to rebel against DHS funding, but the action would do little to harm funding for Secretary of State Kristi Noem’s immigration operations. This would, however, affect several other functions within the agency’s jurisdiction. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News in a statement that while Schumer and Senate Democrats are “playing games with Americans’ security, they are blocking vital DHS funding that keeps our country and its people safe.”
The department, established in 2003 after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has jurisdiction over a wide range of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the US Coast Guardand the secret services.
That means these offices would likely be affected by a partial government shutdown next month.
“This funding supports national security and critical national emergency operations, including FEMA Responses to a historic snowstorm that affects 250 million Americans,” McLaughlin said. “Washington may stagnate, but the safety of the American people will not wait.”
The current DHS funding bill, which is the subject of a political duel between Schumer and Senate Republicans, would provide $64 billion to the agency. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would receive $10 billion of that sum.
The largest allocation would go to FEMA at $32 billion, followed by TSA at $11.6 billion and CISA at $2.6 billion.
GOP SENATOR DEMANDS DHS IMMIGRATION HEADS TO TESTIFY AFTER DEADLY MINNESOTA SHOOTINGS
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has united behind a plan to remove the DHS funding bill from a broader spending package. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Even if the government shut down, immigration operations would likely remain intact.
DHS received billions as part of Trump’s signature legislation, a move to address his and Republicans’ desire last year to boost border security and immigration operations in the former president’s wake. That of Joe Biden term.
In total, the “big, beautiful bill” added more than $170 billion to DHS coffers.
Notably, ICE received a total of $75 billion, divided into two categories: $45 billion for detention expansion and approximately $29 billion for detention expansion. immigration control operations.
The detention funding is expected to last through fiscal year 2029, effectively giving the agency about $10 billion a year — their average base budget — without needing congressional approval during that time.
Schumer and Senate Democrats say they want to continue negotiations on the DHS bill and remove it from a broader funding package of six bills, called a “minibus.” This would almost certainly guarantee a government shutdown, since any changes would have to be sent back to the House.
“If Leader Thune introduces these five bills this week, we can pass them immediately,” Schumer said. “Otherwise, Republicans will once again be responsible for another government shutdown.”
WHITE HOUSE WON’T BRING ON DEMOCRATS’ DEMANDS AS DHS FUNDING MUTINA THREATENS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Sen. Katie Britt, Republican of Alabama, played a critical role in ending the last shutdown, and as chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Homeland Security, she will again act as a key negotiator to avoid another shutdown. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Still, it would complicate matters for other agencies under DHS’s jurisdiction and create a déjà vu scenario similar to the last government shutdown, which lasted 43 days.
The shutdown saw TSA agents go unpaid for weeks, causing huge travel delays across the country, as they and air traffic controllers were forced to stop working and take a second job to make ends meet, or work without pay.
Notably, air traffic controllers would also be affected in the same way this time around. Department of Transportation funding is included in the larger minibus the Senate is expected to consider this week.
The threat of missed paychecks for the U.S. Coast Guard — as well as other members of the armed forces, as the defense funding bill is also included in the minibus — would also rear its ugly head and once again become a political quagmire for lawmakers.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
FEMA’s budget cuts could also impact its ability to help ordinary Americans during natural disasters, with the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) at risk of drying up without additional funding approved by Congress. A program that helps Americans living in flood-prone areas obtain homeowners insurance also would be at risk.
The senator Katie BrittR-Ala., played a critical role in ending the last shutdown and, as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Committee, will again act as a key negotiator to avoid another shutdown.
She emphasized that DHS goes beyond just immigration operations and reminded Senate Democrats of the cost of the latest lockdown.
“We know from recent history that government shutdowns help no one and are not in the best interests of the American people,” Britt said in a statement. “As we approach a government funding deadline, I remain committed to finding a way forward.”
