Trump Signs DHS Funding Bill, Ends Shutdown
US President Donald Trump signed a bill to fund Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies on Thursday, bringing an end to a partial department shutdown which has been hindering operations for over two months. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives cleared the bipartisan legislation by voice vote, just hours before a critical deadline.
President Donald Trump signed a bill on Thursday to restore funding for Department of Homeland Security agencies, ending a partial shutdown that had disrupted operations for more than two months.
The Republican-led House approved the bipartisan measure by voice vote just hours before a looming deadline, and the president signed it into law soon afterward. The bill restores normal funding for agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Secret Service.
Funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol — two agencies at the center of the partisan fight that prompted the shutdown — was left out of the agreement. Democrats had resisted funding immigration enforcement without new limits on tactics such as raids at sensitive locations and on ICE agents' use of masks. Opposition to funding for those agencies grew after federal agents killed two people in Minnesota earlier this year.
Representative Chip Roy of Texas criticized the decision to separate immigration-related funding, calling it "offensive to the men and women who serve in ICE and Border Patrol, and are serving this country every single day." Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee who introduced the bill more than 70 days ago, said: "It's about damn time."
Edited by: Rana Taha, Zac Crellin