March 27, 2026 — Washington D.C. — BREAKING
The Department of Homeland Security partial government shutdown — now in its 42nd day and the longest partial shutdown in American history — lurched deeper into chaos on Friday as House Speaker Mike Johnson flatly rejected a bipartisan Senate deal to fund most of DHS, calling it "a joke," and announced the House would hold its own late-night vote on a 60-day stopgap bill that includes ICE and Border Patrol funding. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer immediately declared the House plan "dead on arrival" in the Senate — which has already left Washington for a two-week recess. With TSA absences at 40% in some airports, more than 480 TSA officers having already quit, and spring break travelers facing hours-long security lines, there is still no clear path to ending one of the most consequential government funding crises in years.
🌙 What Happened Overnight: The Senate's 5-Person Voice Vote
The chaos began in the early hours of Friday morning. In the dead of night, with only five senators present on the floor and no one there to object, the Senate rushed through a DHS funding bill — a move that enraged House conservatives, who publicly blasted the bill they said Senate Majority Leader John Thune jammed through his chamber in the middle of the night, with no roll call vote or the chance to debate it.
The Senate bill does not include additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol — and it does not include any of the demands Democrats made to limit the tactics of federal immigration officers.
Multiple senior House GOP leaders told CNN they had received no advance warning about Thune's plans. "I don't even know what it is yet," House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole told CNN when asked whether he could support the plan.
😤 Johnson's Response: 'This Gambit Is a Joke'
Speaker Johnson was scathing. "This gambit that was done last night is a joke. I'm quite convinced that it can't be that every Senate Republican read the language of this bill," Johnson said to reporters on Friday. "We're not doing that."
Johnson accused Senate Democrats of deliberate bad faith: "They have taken hostage the funding processes of government so that they can impose their radical agenda on the American people when we can't have any part of it."
Trump backed Johnson completely. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said: "In my opinion, you can't have a bill that's not going to fund ICE." Trump added that any legislation on DHS spending needs to fund federal immigration enforcement, and called for the Senate to eliminate the filibuster to pass the bill with a simple majority.
🗳️ The House's Plan: A 60-Day Stopgap Through May 22
Johnson said the House will vote instead on a stop-gap spending bill to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security until May 22. "I spoke to the president a few moments ago, he understands exactly what we're doing and why. And he supports it," Johnson said.
The House Rules Committee advanced a two-month DHS stopgap measure, teeing up a chamber-wide vote that will put the chamber on a collision course with the Senate.
The House GOP plan includes:
- ✅ Full DHS funding — including ICE and CBP — at current levels
- ✅ 60 days — through May 22, 2026
- 🗳️ SAVE America Act — federal voter ID requirement
- ❌ No immigration enforcement reforms — which Democrats demanded
House Republicans are expected to have the votes to pass the 60-day CR in a chamber-wide vote, though Johnson will be able to spare just one GOP defection in a party-line scenario.
🔴 Freedom Caucus Demands: ICE + Voter ID or Nothing
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris said they would only support a version of the bill that adds back ICE and CBP funding, plus a provision requiring photo ID to vote in elections. "The only thing we're going to support is adding that funding into the bill, adding voter ID, sending it back to the Senate, make them come back and do their work," Harris said.
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina called the Senate's move "a capitulation." "The Senate unanimously decided to give in to Democrat demands to not fund ICE or CBP," she said. "This surrender by Senate Republicans was passed in the middle of the night and then the entire Senate decided to go home for 2.5 weeks."
🔵 Democrats: 'The Only Thing Standing Between Chaos Is House Republicans'
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters: "The only thing standing between ending this chaos or not are House Republicans. There's a bipartisan bill that emerged from the Senate with uniform support, and it should be brought to the floor immediately."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said: "Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump's rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms."
Schumer declared the House GOP's 60-day stopgap "dead on arrival" in the Senate — which departed for a two-week recess Friday without passing any further legislation.
✈️ The Human Cost: TSA Officers Quitting, Airports in Chaos
While politicians battle in Washington, the DHS funding lapse forced tens of thousands of employees to work without pay or quit, and resulted in long waits at some airports amid peak spring break travel. TSA acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday that absences are as high as 40% in some airports and more than 480 TSA officers have quit during the shutdown.
The timing could not be worse — spring break 2026 is currently underway, with tens of millions of Americans attempting to fly. Travelers at major hubs including Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, and Los Angeles reported security lines stretching for hours Friday morning.
The Department of Homeland Security said Trump's order directing paychecks for TSA officers means workers should start seeing that money as early as Monday. "TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday, March 30," a DHS spokesperson said.
💸 Trump's Executive Order: Paying TSA Without Congress
Facing the immediate crisis of unpaid TSA workers walking off the job during spring break, Trump took unilateral action. The Department of Homeland Security says Transportation Security Administration employees could receive paychecks as soon as Monday, following a memo signed by President Trump.
However, it was not immediately clear where that money would come from — or whether such a move was legal. No congressional appropriation authorizes the payment, raising serious legal questions about whether Trump has the authority to unilaterally direct funds to federal employees outside the normal appropriations process.
⚔️ Why the Shutdown Started: ICE Killings in Minneapolis
The DHS shutdown — now the longest partial government shutdown in American history at 42 days — began in February 2026 after federal officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Democrats immediately refused to vote for any DHS funding bill that did not include significant reforms to immigration enforcement practices — specifically targeting ICE.
Republicans refused to accept any reforms, insisting ICE and Border Patrol must be fully funded as a matter of national security — particularly given the ongoing Iran war, which Trump has cited as a reason DHS's role in "keeping America safe" is more important than ever.
🤝 Where Senate Republicans Stand: Caught in the Middle
Senate Majority Leader John Thune's overnight maneuver — pushing through a partial DHS funding bill by voice vote at 3 a.m. with only five senators present — exposed deep tensions within the Republican Party. Multiple senior GOP House leaders told CNN they received no warning about Thune's plans.
House Republican Conference chair Lisa McClain said she would have "appreciated" a "heads up" from Senate Majority Leader John Thune before the Senate passed its DHS funding bill early this morning.
Senate Republicans now face a nearly impossible situation: Johnson said he expects Republicans will pass the bill in the House, leaving the Senate to take up the measure. However, it is very unclear if the stop-gap could pass in the Senate. Senators have already left Washington for a planned recess, and Democrats have refused to vote for any spending bill that funds ICE.
📊 Key Facts at a Glance
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| 📅 DHS shutdown duration | 42 days — longest partial shutdown ever |
| 🏛️ Senate bill | Funds DHS minus ICE/CBP — passed by voice vote 3AM |
| 🏛️ House GOP plan | 60-day stopgap with full ICE/CBP funding — vote tonight |
| ❌ Senate response to House plan | Schumer: "Dead on arrival" |
| ✈️ TSA absences | Up to 40% in some airports |
| 👷 TSA officers quit | 480+ during shutdown |
| 💰 TSA paychecks | Trump exec order — as early as Monday March 30 |
| 🗳️ Freedom Caucus demands | ICE funding + SAVE America Act (voter ID) |
| 📅 Senate recess | 2 weeks — left Friday |
| 📅 House vote | Late Friday night — as early as 8 PM ET |
| 📅 Stopgap would fund through | May 22, 2026 |
| ⚖️ Legal question | Can Trump pay TSA without congressional appropriation? |
Sources: NPR (March 27, 2026), CNN Politics live blog (March 27), CNBC (March 27), CBS News live blog (March 27), NBC News live blog (March 27), Fox News (March 27), Roll Call (March 27), Time Magazine (March 27), Washington Post (March 27) — all data current as of 9:00 PM ET Friday March 27, 2026.
Last updated: March 27, 2026 — House vote expected tonight. Check back for results.
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