Washington — The Senate is closing in on a deal to fund the bulk of the Department of Homeland Security and end the partial government shutdown that has stretched six weeks and snarled air travel.
A group of Senate Republicans met with President Trump at the White House on Monday evening and returned to the Capitol optimistic about a possible deal. Asked by reporters if Republicans had a solution, Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama said, “We do.”
Senators said Monday night that they were aiming to finalize legislative text and work toward resolving the impasse later this week.
“We’re waiting to see something in writing to see exactly what the proposal is,” independent Sen. Angus King of Maine told reporters late Monday. “So I’m hopeful that we can get through this and fund these agencies.”
The emerging agreement would involve funding the many agencies that DHS oversees, including TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard, while leaving out funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation operations. Senate Republicans would then work to approve those ICE funds, along with elements of elections legislation known as the SAVE America Act, through the budget reconciliation process.
Budget reconciliation bypasses the 60-vote threshold typically required to advance legislation in the Senate, granting the party in power the ability to approve a package without working across the aisle. But the maneuver comes with limitations, and requires the bill’s components to have direct budgetary consequences.
The reconciliation package would be an opportunity for Republicans to tack on other priorities and comes after they used the process to approve the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. But how much of the election legislation complies with the strict budget rules remains to be seen.
DHS has been shut down since Feb. 14. Democrats have refused to fund the agency without reforms to ICE following two deadly shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. Senate Democrats have been swapping proposals with the White House in recent weeks, and a bipartisan group of senators met twice last week with border czar Tom Homan amid increased pressure to end the stalemate.
The apparent breakthrough came after the president threw a wrench into talks over funding DHS on Monday when he demanded that Republicans refrain from making a deal. He argued that lawmakers should link DHS funding with the SAVE America Act. The president has put pressure on lawmakers for weeks to approve the elections bill, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot. Democrats strongly oppose the bill.
But after the meeting at the White House, which GOP Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Bernie Moreno of Ohio, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Britt attended, a path forward appeared viable.
Leaving the Capitol Monday night, GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top appropriator in the Senate, said there would be more discussions as lawmakers circle a deal to end the impasse.
“I’m more optimistic that by the end of the week we will fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Collins said.
