US Congress deadlocked as homeland security funding set to expire

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is racing toward a funding deadline this week as Congress remains deadlocked over its fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill, raising the prospect of a partial shutdown that would affect some of the nation’s most visible security agencies while leaving others largely untouched.

DHS is currently operating under a short-term continuing resolution that keeps funding at fiscal year 2025 levels through February 13. If lawmakers fail to pass either a full-year appropriations bill or another stopgap measure before midnight Friday, portions of the department would face a lapse in funding.

Negotiations remain stalled over immigration enforcement provisions that Democrats want attached to the funding bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has signaled that Democrats are prepared to block another short-term extension absent policy concessions, while House Republicans have pressed for a clean funding measure.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no agreement had been announced.

Under federal shutdown rules and DHS’s own lapse-in-appropriations planning documents, many core homeland security missions would continue because they are considered “excepted” activities tied to national security and public safety.

Frontline operations at Customs and Border Protection would remain active. Border Patrol agents and CBP officers at ports of entry would continue conducting inspections, enforcement actions, and intelligence operations.

Border security functions are deemed essential, and personnel would continue working, though some could do so without immediate pay until funding is restored.

Similarly, Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations would largely continue. Ongoing investigations, detention operations, and removal activities are classified as law enforcement functions tied to public safety and therefore fall within shutdown exemptions. Officers and agents would remain on duty.

Transportation security screening at airports would also continue. The Transportation Security Administration is considered essential to aviation security, and Transportation Security Officers would remain at checkpoints nationwide. However, as in previous shutdowns, they could be required to work without pay until Congress restores funding.

In short, border security, immigration enforcement, maritime safety, and airport screening would continue functioning in the immediate term, albeit under financial strain and administrative disruption.

Other DHS components that depend more directly on annual appropriations would feel the effects of a shutdown more quickly. Cybersecurity and infrastructure protection functions housed within DHS would face uncertainty.

Personnel deemed non-essential could be furloughed, potentially affecting vulnerability assessments, stakeholder engagement, and non-urgent analytic work.

Administrative offices across the department, including policy, public affairs, civil rights oversight, procurement, and certain intelligence support functions, would likely see significant furloughs. Contract processing, grant distributions, and regulatory development could be delayed.

In practical terms, while agents at the border and officers at airport checkpoints would still report for duty, back office operations that support planning, oversight, and modernization efforts could grind to a halt.

Even for components that continue operating, a shutdown would carry immediate human and operational consequences. Excepted employees are typically required to work without pay until funding is restored. During previous shutdowns, delayed paychecks contributed to financial hardship, increased attrition concerns, and morale challenges.

DHS leadership has historically warned that repeated funding brinkmanship undermines workforce stability, especially within frontline agencies already under strain from heavy operational demands.

At the center of the impasse is a broader fight over immigration enforcement authorities and oversight. Democrats have pushed for policy changes tied to enforcement practices, while Republicans argue that withholding DHS funding jeopardizes national security.

Until Congress reaches an agreement, DHS remains funded only through the expiring continuing resolution. If no deal is reached by Friday night, the department would enter a partial shutdown, maintaining border, immigration, maritime, and aviation security operations while suspending or scaling back a range of administrative, grant, and policy functions.

Article Topics

CBP  |  DHS  |  TSA  |  U.S. Government