Trump Signs DHS Funding Bill After 11-Week Shutdown Linked To ICE Dispute

Trump signs DHS funding bill after 11-week shutdown, as lawmakers break deadlock over ICE and border agency funding row.

US President Donald Trump has signed a bill to fund key Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies, ending a partial shutdown that lasted nearly 11 weeks.

The legislation funds agencies including the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration. It does not cover immigration enforcement bodies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.

The deadlock ended after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives unanimously approved a Senate-backed bill, which had faced resistance from conservative lawmakers for weeks.

The House vote came as officials warned funding was about to run out, raising concerns over airport disruption and national security risks.

The measure funds DHS agencies not involved in the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts until 30 September, the end of the 2026 fiscal year. These include FEMA, the US Coast Guard and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The agreement marks a win for Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who had urged House Republicans to pass the bill without changes.

Debate around the broader DHS budget had intensified after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, where prosecutors say a man attempted to assassinate Trump. Officials also warned affected agencies could struggle to pay workers in May without fresh funding.

Some Republican lawmakers had opposed the bill because it excluded funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “We threw a fit, and we had to. We held the homeland bill, the underlying funding bill, because we had to ensure that they could not isolate and eliminate those two critical agencies.”

Republican leaders moved to address those concerns by advancing a $70bn budget plan to provide funding for immigration enforcement agencies. Lawmakers plan to pass separate legislation for ICE and Border Patrol using a budget process that allows them to bypass Democratic opposition in the Senate.

“Now that that box is checked, we are allowed then to proceed and go through with the rest of it,” Johnson said.

Funding for much of DHS had expired on 14 February following disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over immigration enforcement rules.

Democrats had called for tighter oversight, including requiring judicial warrants before agents could enter private homes. Talks failed to produce an agreement.

Speaking about the challenges in passing the bill, Thune said: “He has to do what he has to do. He needs every Republican and that is a real challenge on a good day. And, you know, sometimes aren’t a lot of good days around here.”