Senators Close In on Deal to Fund 94% of DHS, Excluding ICE Enforcement Operations
Bipartisan senators are racing to finalize a deal that would end the 38-day DHS shutdown by funding 94% of the department, including TSA, CBP, and ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division, while excluding ICE enforcement and removal operations. Sen. Lindsey Graham confirmed the 94% figure after a group of Republican senators met with Trump at the White House Monday night. A White House official said the deal 'seems to be acceptable.' The proposal includes guardrails keeping CBP officers in traditional roles rather than urban immigration roundups, plus mandatory body cameras and identification requirements for enforcement actions. Sen. Susan Collins told reporters she was 'more optimistic that by the end of the week we will fund the Department of Homeland Security.' Any Senate deal must also pass the House, where Trump allies may resist excluding ICE enforcement funding.
Prior briefs tracked Mullin's DHS confirmation (54-45, March 23) and escalating TSA crisis (200-minute waits at Houston IAH, 11.76% callout record). The 94% funding framework is the first viable resolution pathway since the shutdown began February 14. The ICE enforcement carve-out mirrors the political fault line that caused the shutdown.