Key Points
- House Republicans are moving toward legislation to fund Department of Homeland Security agencies, including the Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration, as a partial shutdown stretches into nearly 11 weeks.
- Reuters reported that financing for the Secret Service and airport security is close to running dry, intensifying pressure on House leaders to act.
- The White House Office of Management and Budget warned that DHS agencies covered by the bill could run out of funding in May, raising the risk that the administration would be unable to pay all DHS personnel.
- House Republicans had already advanced a separate $70 billion budget blueprint aimed at new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
- A Senate-passed package to fund other DHS agencies, including TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA, remained stalled in the House despite backing from President Donald Trump, according to Reuters.
- The House and Senate were both due to leave for a one-week recess, which could delay any final agreement further.
- Reuters reported that if the bill changes in the House, it would have to return to the Senate, creating more procedural delays and possible objections from Democrats.
What is driving the House move on DHS funding?
WASHINGTON (King County Insider ) April 30, 2026 – House Republicans are under mounting pressure to act on a Department of Homeland Security funding bill as money for the U.S. Secret Service and airport security operations nears exhaustion, according to a report by David Morgan of Reuters.
As reported by David Morgan of Reuters, Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives plan to try to finalize legislation needed to fund DHS agencies that have been operating under a partial shutdown for nearly 11 weeks.
The report said House Republicans had already passed a $70 billion budget blueprint to provide new money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol late Wednesday, but a broader Senate-passed measure for other DHS agencies remained unresolved. That broader package would fund the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and FEMA, among other parts of the department, Reuters reported.
The immediate trigger for the renewed effort is the warning that financing for the Secret Service and airport security is close to running dry. Reuters also said the White House budget office warned earlier this week that funding for covered agencies would run out in May, which begins on Friday.
Why does the White House want quick action?
According to Reuters, the White House Office of Management and Budget warned that if funding is exhausted, the administration would be unable to pay all DHS personnel, creating risks for air travel and national security. The same Reuters report said the warning described the situation as one that could bring renewed disruption to airport operations and a weakened national security posture.
A separate White House memorandum said more than 60,000 TSA employees, including about 50,000 transportation security officers, were not being paid because of the shutdown. That memorandum said regular TSA funding had not been restored and directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to use funds tied to TSA operations to provide compensation and benefits to employees, consistent with law.
Reuters also reported that President Donald Trump backed the broader Senate-passed funding package for the other DHS agencies. The report said House Speaker Mike Johnson could try to move the legislation under conditions that would depend on Democratic support to overcome Republican opposition.
How is the House handling the split between immigration and security funding?
The House strategy described by Reuters separates immigration enforcement funding from the rest of DHS operations. House Republicans have pushed ahead with the budget blueprint for ICE and Border Patrol while leaving the TSA, Secret Service, Coast Guard and FEMA funding package unresolved.
Reuters said the House passage of the budget resolution would allow committees to begin writing separate legislation to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the remainder of Trump’s presidency. The report added that Republicans hope to use budget reconciliation in May to bypass Democratic opposition in the Senate.
That strategy has created procedural complications because a modified version of the DHS funding legislation would have to pass the Senate again. Reuters reported that Democrats who supported the earlier version could object if the language changes.
What do previous reports say about the shutdown timeline?
CBS News reported on March 26 that the House passed a short-term measure to fund DHS at current levels through May 22, but the shutdown remained unresolved. CBS said the House vote came after the Senate had advanced different legislation to fund most of DHS, including TSA.
NPR reported on March 27 that House Republicans rejected a Senate DHS bill and that the House instead voted to approve a stop-gap measure to fund DHS through May 22. NPR also reported that the Senate bill lacked additional money for ICE and Border Patrol and did not include Democrats’ demands on federal immigration enforcement practices.
GovExec reported on April 27 that House Speaker Mike Johnson wanted changes to a Senate-passed bill, further delaying efforts to end the DHS shutdown. The same report said the Senate had already passed a bill to fund the vast majority of DHS, but Johnson had not brought it to the House floor for a vote.
What is the status of DHS workers and airport security?
Reuters said the shutdown has put the Secret Service and airport security close to a funding cliff, which is why House Republicans were trying to finalize legislation immediately. The same report said the White House warned that without funding, air travel could face renewed disruption.
The White House memorandum added that TSA workers had been operating without pay and that the administration viewed the situation as an emergency affecting the nation’s air travel system. NBC News also reported that the House vote on a temporary DHS funding bill came after President Trump signed an order directing DHS to pay TSA workers during the shutdown.
CBS News earlier reported that some DHS agencies, including TSA, were already facing staffing challenges during the shutdown. The report said the prolonged lapse in funding had become visible to the public through airport security strain and wider operational pressure.
Who are the key political players?
According to Reuters, House Speaker Mike Johnson is central to the effort because House Republicans control whether the funding bill moves forward. Reuters also said the White House is pushing Republicans to act because funding for the covered agencies is nearing exhaustion.
NPR reported that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the House GOP proposal “dead on arrival,” reflecting the deep partisan divide over what should be funded and how. Reuters likewise said Democrats may resist any rewritten version of the bill if it returns to the Senate.
AP reported earlier in April that the Senate had voted to start a new effort to reopen DHS and end what it called the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history. Reuters later reported that the House still had not settled on the version of legislation it wanted to send back.
Background
The DHS funding fight has been building since mid-February, when Congress allowed the department’s funding to lapse and a partial shutdown began. Over time, the dispute expanded beyond routine appropriations into a broader fight over immigration enforcement, border policy and the use of budget reconciliation.
Senate Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly clashed over whether DHS should be funded as a whole or split into separate tracks for agencies like TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard versus ICE and Border Patrol. Reuters reported that the House GOP eventually advanced a budget blueprint for ICE and Border Patrol while leaving the rest of DHS funding unresolved.
Prediction
For air travelers, TSA workers, and DHS personnel, the development could determine whether airport security operations stay stable or face fresh disruptions if funding expires. For lawmakers, the next steps may shape whether DHS is reopened through a broader bipartisan deal or kept split into separate immigration and security funding tracks.
For federal workers covered by DHS, the immediate risk is more missed paychecks and continued uncertainty while Congress remains divided. For the public, the most likely short-term effect is continued pressure on airport security and on other DHS services until both chambers agree on the same version of funding legislation.
