The Department of Homeland Security is poised to shut down at 12:01 am as Congress left Washington without a funding deal, and negotiations remained unresolved. The lapse would halt pay for many workers at agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard, though most would continue working. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection would be largely unaffected, as both retain access to previously approved funding. The House and Senate are not scheduled to return until Feb. 23, raising the prospect of a prolonged shutdown. A Senate vote to fund DHS for the rest of the fiscal year failed 52-47, short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. An effort to pass a two-week stopgap measure was blocked by Democrats, who rejected short-term funding without reforms. Democrats have sought new restrictions on ICE and CBP, while the White House said its counterproposal was rejected. Republicans said a shutdown would not impede immigration enforcement but would affect pay for TSA agents and Coast Guard members.

Tags

As featured on