The U.S. Senate, after the outrageous Department of Homeland Security (DHS) backstab deal last week, just proved themselves once again callous to Americans’ interests and federal employees’ financial due.
At 3 a.m. on Friday, five senators, including John Thune (R-S.D.), rushed through a terrible funding deal that excluded many DHS immigration officers and employees. On Monday morning, Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin posted on X, “The Senate just held a quick pro forma session & adjourned until Thursday. The GOP did not introduce the House-passed DHS funding bill via unanimous consent, but if they did, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) was here and told us he planned to object/kill it. DHS shutdown continues.”
Melugin subsequently shared an update after he had communicated with one of the Republican senators apparently involved in the funding negotiations:
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) tells reporters GOP didn’t introduce the House passed DHS funding bill via unanimous consent today because Sen. Coons (D-DE) was here to object/kill it.
I asked why not at least try and let Dems kill it?
Hoeven indicated they may try to get consensus before the Senate reconvenes on Thursday & may try it then.
BUT….
Hoeven also indicated Senate Republicans are done negotiating with Democrats & he wants to pivot instead to passing 3 years of DHS funding via reconciliation, which wouldn’t require Dem votes.
“We’re taking this off the table, that that’s enough of this with the Democrats,” Hoeven said.
There have been at least two DHS shutdowns in the past six months, and three funding lapses within the current Congress, according to TIME. Therefore, DHS employees have been regularly missing paychecks for half a year now. That’s not sustainable. Donald Trump signed an emergency order to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees last week, and frontline Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents have separate funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill. But a significant number of civilian employees at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have gone weeks without pay, and could end up going several months without pay.
Related: House GOP Enraged at Senate Backstab on DHS Funding, SAVE Act
One CBP employee wrote to Melugin after the handful of senators pulled their 3 a.m. stunt, “The senate bill paid TSA but thousands of CBP & ICE professional staff will not be paid. The last paid work day for me was February 13. Now senate on paid vacation until April 13 that is a guarantee for 2 months no pay. Very likely we won’t be paid until May if [House Speaker Mike] Johnson lets the bill pass.”
Agencies under the DHS umbrella include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The impact of the Democrat-induced shutdown, all on behalf of helping out illegal alien criminals, is mind-blowingly massive. Literally millions of Americans are affected, and our national security is in jeopardy.
No more compromising and negotiating endlessly with Democrats who will never live up to their own bargains. Donald Trump and the congressional Republicans obviously need to find a different method for funding DHS, as Trump did with TSA.
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