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On Thursday, lawmakers departed Capitol Hill without plans to return until late February. Their departure all but guaranteed a partial shutdown that has crippled the Department of Homeland Security.
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From The Epoch Times:
With no agreement in sight on funding for the agency, senators departed Washington after casting final votes on Feb. 12 and aren’t set to return until Feb. 23. The DHS is poised to shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said a deal is “not close,” despite extensive negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on the issue over the past two weeks.
That sets the stage for, at minimum, a 10-day shutdown that will affect several major DHS subsidiaries, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), and others.
As the Times explains, Congress passed legislation funding 96% of the government through September 30 earlier this year. The legislation also included temporary funding for the DHS that was set to expire on February 13.
While lawmakers negotiated funding for the DHS, Democrats were quick to demand sweeping changes. Tensions between Minnesotans and ICE, a subsidiary of the department, led to calls for significant reform. Anti-ICE sentiment in Washington peaked following the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, protestors accused of obstructing and/or attacking immigration enforcement. Democrats responded to their deaths by digging in their heels and refusing to budge.
On Thursday, a last-ditch effort to fund the DHS for another year failed in a 52-47 Senate vote, with every Democrat except for Senator Fetterman voting against the measure. Senator Katie Britt’s measure to fund the department for another two weeks also failed.
The Times notes that ICE, despite being at the center of this dispute, will not be substantially affected by the shutdown, as Republicans previously set aside funding for the agency. The TSA and FEMA, however, will likely be greatly affected. According to the Times, essential TSA employees will have to continue working without pay for the duration of the shutdown.
As funding remains up in the air, let’s pray for this department!
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(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo Credit: DHS photo by Tia Dufour)
