In a rare session that lasted overnight, the US Senate unanimously approved this Friday (27) the funding of most of the United States’ DHS (Department of Homeland Security), with the exception of the Immigration and Customs Service and part of the Customs and Border Protection.
The deal would fund other components of DHS, such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard, but the House of Representatives will still need to act before agencies funded within the department can reopen.
After negotiations failed early Thursday night (26), senators focused on approving the financing they managed to agree on unanimously. On his way to the floor early Friday morning, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters, “We’re going to execute as much of the Department of Homeland Security’s budget as we can tonight, and then we’ll fund the rest later.”
The impasse over funding for the Department of Homeland Security has resulted in the withholding of salaries for thousands of TSA agents and other DHS employees, causing major travel delays and dozens of missed flights across the country. Frustration on Capitol Hill reached new heights this week, and senators pushed for the impasse to be resolved before the two-week parliamentary recess.
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