The Accountability Standoff: Immigration Oversight Halts DHS Funding

The lapse in DHS appropriations means only this one department is affected; other Cabinet agencies and independent offices are continuing operations and pay on schedule under the separate full-year spending bills already signed into law.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is currently facing significant pressure on multiple fronts, ranging from a departmental funding crisis to calls for her resignation following controversial enforcement actions. (Getty photo)

The Accountability Standoff: Immigration Oversight Halts DHS Funding

Ashley Roberts - Capitol Hill
Tell Us USA News Network

WASHINGTON - A lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security has triggered a partial shutdown that is hitting frontline security agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration and parts of the border and disaster response apparatus, even as the rest of the federal government remains funded through September 30, 2026.

DHS funding runs out while rest of government stays open. Congress approved full-year funding for nearly all federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2026, but carved out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a short-term patch that expired in mid-February. Lawmakers remain deadlocked over immigration enforcement limits and accountability measures for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, leaving DHS without an ongoing appropriations bill even as most of the government operates normally.

The lapse in DHS appropriations means only this one department is affected; other Cabinet agencies and independent offices are continuing operations and pay on schedule under the separate full-year spending bills already signed into law.

Core security agencies forced to work without pay. Under federal contingency plans, a majority of DHS’s roughly 260,000-person workforce is classified as “essential” and must continue working despite the funding lapse. That includes most Transportation Security Administration officers screening passengers at airports, Coast Guard personnel, and key cyber and protective details, who are now on the job with no guarantee of timely paychecks until Congress restores funding.

TSA officials and outside analysts warn that sustained unpaid work could lead to growing staffing shortages and longer airport security lines as the shutdown drags on, particularly heading into the busy spring travel period. FEMA retains limited disaster funds for near-term emergencies but faces constraints on new projects and long-term recovery work, while parts of DHS headquarters operations and support staff are being furloughed outright.

Immigration fight drives standoff. The political battle centers on demands from Democrats for tighter rules on federal immigration agents following a series of high-profile fatal shootings involving DHS personnel. They are pressing for new warrant standards, restrictions on the use of masks and tactical gear, and expanded oversight before agreeing to a full-year homeland security funding bill.

Republicans argue that ICE and CBP enforcement will continue regardless of the impasse because those agencies received tens of billions of dollars in supplemental funding last year in a separate “megabill,” insulating core border operations from the current shutdown. That dynamic has sharpened criticism that the funding lapse is falling most heavily on TSA agents, Coast Guard crews and FEMA staff, rather than directly curbing the immigration enforcement practices at the heart of the dispute.

Limited shutdown, real-world ripples. Because only the Homeland Security bill has stalled, analysts describe the situation as a “single-department shutdown” rather than a broad federal closure. National parks, Social Security offices, and most civilian agencies remain open and funded, softening the overall economic impact even as critical security and emergency workers inside DHS shoulder the uncertainty.

Still, officials warn that extended delays in pay could undermine morale and retention in mission-critical units, from airport checkpoints to Coast Guard patrols, and could slow DHS’s long-term preparedness and modernization efforts even after the funding dispute is resolved. Congress has signaled it could reconvene on short notice if a compromise emerges, but as of now, there is no clear path to restoring DHS funding while the rest of the government continues business as usual through the end of the fiscal year.