US Homeland Security Faces Shutdown After Funding Negotiations Stall

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Washington: Negotiations to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) collapsed this week, leading to a partial government shutdown after Congress failed to approve a budget before the mid-February deadline. Lawmakers from both parties have been unable to find common ground on how to structure the department’s spending for the rest of the fiscal year.

The standoff centres on demands by Democratic lawmakers for new restrictions on federal immigration enforcement operations, including proposals to require agents to clearly identify themselves and use body cameras. Republicans and the White House have resisted these reforms, arguing they would undermine enforcement effectiveness.

On Feb. 13, the Senate failed to secure the 60-vote threshold needed to advance a funding bill for DHS, leaving the department without a continuing resolution and pushing lawmakers into a recess before a deal was reached.

Because Congress passed separate appropriations for all other federal departments, DHS is now the only major agency affected by the shutdown, which means certain non-essential workers have been furloughed while key homeland security functions continue under “essential” staffing rules.

The dispute was inflamed after two U.S. citizens were killed by immigration agents during a policing operation in Minneapolis, which strengthened Democratic calls to reform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and related agencies before approving further funding.

With no new funding bill in place, agencies under DHS such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may face operational challenges, even though many staff are kept on the job without pay due to shutdown provisions. Lawmakers are expected to revisit negotiations when Congress returns from recess.