Senate GOP Advances DHS Funding Resolution in Late Night Vote

The Senate has advanced a resolution to advance government funding for the Department of Homeland Services (DHS).

The Details: Shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, the Senate passed a resolution to advance the DHS funding process by a vote of 50 to 48. Senate Democrats were joined by Republican Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in voting against the measure. To advance the resolution, Senate Republicans used the budget reconciliation process to allow for a simple majority vote rather than the Senate's 60-vote threshold. If the resolution is adopted by the House, congressional committees would then draft legislation allocating the funds for DHS through January 2029. Congress would then vote on the legislation next month; it would then require President Donald Trump's signature.

Key Quote: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said, "We have a multistep process ahead of us but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, "Tonight, Senate Republicans showed the American people where they stand – not for families struggling with the high costs of child care, groceries, gasoline, electricity, but for pumping $140 billion towards rogue agencies."

For Context: DHS has been shut down since February 14 after the Senate blocked a House-passed DHS appropriations bill that included funding for Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

How the Media Covered It: Several sources on the left noted that the resolution passed with only Republican votes and warned that Democrats "can, should, and will" follow the lead of Senate Republicans and use the resolution process to bypass a Senate filibuster when they are in charge. Fox News (Right bias) reported that the Senate "rammed through" a blueprint for DHS funding, and the Washington Examiner (Lean Right) focused on the Senate Democrats "pinching the GOP" on affordability by attacking Republicans on the cost of living.

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.