WASHINGTON — The Senate agreed unanimously early Friday to reopen the Department of Homeland Security after a 40-day shutdown, but without funding for immigration enforcement and deportation operations.
Senators approved the package at 2:20 a.m by voice vote after a marathon session, which followed arduous bipartisan negotiations that occurred in fits and starts over the last six weeks.
The measure is expected to have President Donald Trump’s support but faces an uncertain future in the House.
The deal would fund all of DHS except ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and parts of Customs and Border Protection, which Democrats have refused to vote for without significant reforms to enforcement practices.
The White House and Republicans declined to grant those demands, so they agreed to strip out ICE funding from the measure and pursue that in a separate party-line bill. Democrats objected to an effort to pass that bill, blocking it from advancing.
Senate Republicans held a vote open for hours on Thursday as the two sides continued to negotiate, having traded offers for days.
Trump announced Thursday that he would sign an order to pay Transportation Security Administration officers who have gone without paychecks during the funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security. That has caused high callout rates and extreme delays at airports.
Trump’s backing could help corral votes in the Republican-controlled House despite some misgivings among conservatives about splitting off ICE funding.
The House is set to hold an unrelated vote at 10:00am before leaving for recess.
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