The U.S. Senate voted unanimously in the early hours of Friday to approve a funding package for most of the Department of Homeland Security, effectively ending a partial shutdown that had lasted more than 40 days. The bill, passed by voice vote at approximately 2:20 a.m., funds agencies including the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, but deliberately excludes Immigration and Customs Enforcement and most of Customs and Border Protection.

The exclusion of ICE and CBP funding was the central compromise that broke a weeks-long partisan standoff. Senate Democrats had refused to approve those agencies' budgets without significant reforms to immigration enforcement practices, citing in particular two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis attributed to federal agents. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the agreement represented a firm Democratic position that ICE and Border Patrol would receive no additional funding without reform, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune argued that Democrats' refusal to negotiate sooner had forced an inefficient, piecemeal approach to funding the department.

The shutdown had caused severe disruption at airports nationwide, as roughly 50,000 TSA officers worked without pay since mid-February, leading many to call out of work or resign entirely. Travelers at major airports including Houston reported waits of two hours or more, with some facilities operating at one-third to one-half of normal checkpoint capacity. Hours before the Senate vote, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would sign an executive order directing newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately begin paying TSA agents.

Following passage of the DHS funding bill, Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri sought unanimous consent to pass a separate measure funding ICE and CBP with $100 billion over 10 years and no new enforcement restrictions. Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey objected, blocking that measure from advancing. Schmitt and other Republicans signaled they intend to pursue ICE and CBP funding through the budget reconciliation process, which requires only a simple Senate majority rather than the standard 60-vote threshold, bypassing the Democratic filibuster.

The funding package now moves to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where its fate remains uncertain. Some conservatives have expressed reservations about separating ICE funding from the broader DHS bill. Speaker Mike Johnson had been in contact with Thune ahead of the vote, and Thune expressed hope Friday that the House would act quickly to open additional portions of the government.