Washington: The US Senate unanimously passed a bill early Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including provisions to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents following a weeks-long government shutdown.
According to Anadolu Agency, the overnight vote came after a marathon session and hours after President Donald Trump announced he would sign an order to ensure TSA personnel receive their pay after a 42-day funding lapse. The shutdown had left many TSA officers without pay since mid-March, leading to staff shortages and significant disruptions at airports nationwide, with security wait times extending up to four hours in some instances.
The legislation funds most DHS operations but excludes controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement and removal operations as well as parts of Customs and Border Protection. This exclusion reflects ongoing political disagreements over immigration policy.
The agreement follows weeks of challenging bipartisan negotiations. While the Senate approved the measure unanimously, its future remains uncertain in the House. Both houses of Congress must pass the bill, and the president must sign it, for it to become law.