Congressional dysfunction TSA, Secret Service pay

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 70 days and with Congress seemingly deadlocked on a series of controversial topics, there is no immediate end to the funding lapse.

As the House turned its wheels on Tuesday, some turned to higher powers.

“I have a copy of the prayer for calm here,” said the House Rules Committee Chairman. Virginia Foxx, RN.C., began the hearing Tuesday afternoon. “God give me the peace to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot, the wisdom to know the difference.”

Congress’ to-do list is long. In addition to the DHS funding, it includes sweeping legislation such as the reauthorization of a controversial foreign surveillance program that expires at the end of April, a bill that puts agriculture and food policies and a budget measure among the top priorities of Republicans who hope to pave the way for an end to the partial government shutdown.

Congress, though riddled with inefficiencies, is short-lived. Both chambers are expected to take a week-long break from Friday. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April that he said would authorize paying all DHS workers during the shutdown. But that emergency funding could end on May 1, according to Trump administration officials.

If it does, Transportation Management agents may start missing out on paychecks again, which at the beginning of the shutdown caused major delays at airports across the country. It could also mean that Secret Service agents, who stopped the shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend, could go without pay, along with other DHS employees.

“The Senate has twice — twice — passed DHS funding unanimously, since 33 days ago,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a press conference Tuesday.

The Senate in late March approved a DHS bill that would have funded the agency out of the Department of Immigration and Commerce and parts of Customs and Border Protection, but the House vetoed the proposal amid legislative backlash between congress.

“Everything [Speaker Mike] All Johnson has to do is put it down and it will pass. It will pass with the majority of votes. But right now, Republicans are blocking it,” Schumer said.

He just stuck

Finger pointing over DHS funding goes both ways.

Republicans have repeatedly taken shots at Democrats, who refused to fund DHS in February after two US citizens were killed by federal agents in January during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Most Democrats continued to withhold their support for any legislation that would provide funding to ICE and parts of CBP without changes to immigration enforcement practices.

“Radical Left Democrats have kept DHS shut down since February 14. Our Speaker, Mike Johnson, is working hard to end the Democratic Shut Down, and pass the first step of the plan to get FULL FUNDING for our amazing ICE and Border Patrol Agents,” President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday, referring to the budget decision released last week by the “reconciliation process” of the Republicans.

Budget reconciliation is a way to pass spending-related initiatives with a simple majority in the Senate, as opposed to the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster in the chamber, which allows passage of conflicting provisions by a party vote.

House Republicans have said that passing a reconciliation bill to fund ICE and CBP is a condition for them to vote on a bill to fund the entire DHS. But the rest of the two-step plan to end the partial government shutdown is underway this week as the House works on other controversial bills.

Compounding the problem, Johnson told reporters Monday that the Senate-passed version of the DHS funding bill would need to be amended to clear the House, in which case it would have to return to the upper chamber for final approval.

“We don’t know what they’re talking about,” Schumer said Tuesday when asked about Johnson’s modified version of the bill. “They’re just stuck.”

Republican infighting blocks DHS funding, other laws

The House Rules Committee — which decides which bills make it to the House floor — returned to Congress on Monday in hopes of advancing the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the ICE and CBP budget resolution and the farm bill. Broad funding for DHS was not included in that plan as many House Republicans said they would not support the measure without first funding for ICE and CBP.

But Republican arguments derailed those plans as the Rules Committee — which must set the rules for debate before legislation reaches the House floor — failed to reach an agreement.

The far-right side of the group has sought changes to FISA, including a US data consent requirement taken as part of the program. Republican hardliners also opposed provisions in the farm bill that they say would protect pesticide makers from liability.

With a slim majority, Republican leaders can afford to lose a few within their ranks to advance any legislation.

“Note the common thread throughout the DHS funding, the reconciliation bill, and the 702 expansion: all three are intertwined in the internal Republican feud,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, DR.I., posted on X Tuesday. “This is NOT partisanship, this is Republican incompetence.”