Dhs Funding

The partial government shutdown has now lasted eight weeks with Congress on recess until 13 AprilHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The record-breaking partial government shutdown has now entered its eighth week, with little end in sight.Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into a law a bill that allows the state to designate terrorist groups, then punish those who promote them. Critics say the law will threaten free speech, especially on school campuses. The bill specifics bars the state’s courts from enforcing foreign religious laws, specifically naming Sharia Law. Florida courts enforce secular laws passed in the state, however.Representative Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat, will introduce impeachment articles next week against defense secretary Pete Hegseth. “Only Congress has the power to declare war, not a rogue president or his lackeys,” Ansari said in a statement.Donald Trump reiterated his threats to bomb Iranian energy and civilian infrastructure if the White House does not reach a deal to reopen the strait of Hormuz 8pm ET today. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said during a 90-minute press conference Monday afternoon.District court judges have been increasingly issuing strong rulings challenging the legality of many of Trump’s policies and power grabs, blocking key ones at least temporarily, and sparking angry responses from the president, former judges and prosecutors say.Trump threatened to jail a journalist – or journalists – who reported that a second US airman was missing after being shot down by Iran on Friday in an effort to identify their source. The badly injured airman hid in a mountain crevice to avoid capture before being rescued by a US recovery team that received heavy fire. Continue reading...

Measure that would fund homeland security but exclude money for ICE could conclude lengthy funding lapseAn end to the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may be in sight, after Congress’s Republican leaders on Wednesday agreed to advance legislation that would fund the majority of the agency’s operations, with the exception of those involved in immigration enforcement.The pact may conclude the longest such funding lapse in US history, which last month caused security lines to stretch for hours at some airports as employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a subagency of DHS, quit their jobs or called out of work after going weeks without pay. Continue reading...

Trump has ordered pay be restored to TSA employees but it is unclear where money will come from and whether he has such legal powersHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Airports continue to warn passengers to arrive several hours early due to unpredictable Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wait times, as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became the longest shutdown in US history.A generational divide over the Iran war has emerged between older attendees and their political heirs at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas, as the group’s leaders pleaded for unity ahead of a challenging midterm election year for Republicans. More here.Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks, as the war that has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest ever disruption to global energy supplies entered its second month. More here.US lawmakers have responded to reports that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran as thousands of US troops assemble in the Middle East and the conflict showed signs of entering a more dangerous phase. More here.The abortion rate is holding steady in the US despite total and partial bans in some states – largely because of travel across state lines and a significant increase in telehealth appointments, a new report says. More here.Pope Leo has said God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have “hands full of blood”, in an apparent rebuke to the Trump administration. The pontiff made the comments on Sunday as thousands of US troops arrived in the Middle East.More than 8 million people protested against the Trump administration at more than 3,300 No Kings events across the US and in more than a dozen countries on Saturday, according to organizers. Continue reading...

If the now-six-week partial shutdown continues after the weekend, it will become the longest of any shutdownThe shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the fourth largest agency in the US government, became the longest partial shutdown in US history on Sunday.If the now-six-week partial shutdown continues after the weekend, it will also become the longest of any shutdown, surpassing the impasse late last year that dragged on for 43 days. Continue reading...

• The House passed legislation on Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security for 60 days at current levels through May 22, extending funding for all agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. • The measure cleared the House 213–203, with three Democrats voting alongside Republicans, automatically passing once the rule was adopted without a separate floor vote. • Senate Democrats rejected the House GOP proposal as "dead on arrival," having already passed their own bipartisan bill that excluded ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection funding.

• The Senate voted early Friday morning to approve a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and portions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ending weeks of stalled negotiations. • Republicans indicated they plan to fund immigration enforcement agencies through a separate reconciliation bill in fiscal 2027, bypassing the normal appropriations process and relying solely on GOP votes. • The Senate-passed measure faces significant obstacles in the House, where hardline conservatives have already signaled opposition, threatening to extend the DHS shutdown beyond its current five-week duration.

Bill passes by 213 to 203 votes in move prolonging weeks-long budget standoff that has disrupted travelUS House Republicans rejected a bipartisan Senate deal to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security and instead passed their own funding measure late Friday, extending a weeks-long budget standoff that has disrupted travel.The stopgap bill, which proposes funding the DHS in full for eight weeks, passed by 213 to 203 votes after Republicans in the lower chamber refused to take up a Senate-passed deal that excluded money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Senate approved a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA operations, but excluding ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection. • The measure addresses impacts from the partial government shutdown, where over 480 TSA officers quit and absences hit 40% at some airports. • President Trump announced plans to sign an executive order for immediate TSA agent payments, separate from the Senate bill.

• House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to commit Friday to passing the Senate-approved DHS funding bill, which excludes ICE and CBP funding amid ongoing agency shutdown. • Conservative Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris opposes the deal, demanding restoration of immigration enforcement funds and attachment of SAVE America Act voter ID legislation before returning to Senate. • Johnson faces challenges passing via party-line rule or two-thirds suspension vote, risking backlash from hard-liners and Democrats.

Passengers report varying experiences at different times of day at security screening as ICE agents assist TSA staffUS politics – live updatesHartfield-Jackson Atlanta international airport turned the digital wait time sign off days ago. Predicting passenger behavior can be hard; predicting the behavior of unpaid TSA agents is also hard. Keeping an accurate clock has been impossible.Even though ICE agents have started filling in for TSA screeners at some airports, a morning flight might mean a three-hour slog with lines winding around baggage carousels, from the security checkpoint all the way outside to the curb. Continue reading...