Key Takeaways
- •House Republicans introduced an eight-week continuing resolution through May 22 to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown while rejecting a Senate-passed funding alternative.
- •Tom Cole (Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations) argued the Senate's late-night amendment stripped essential funding for ICE and CBP, making the House's eight-week extension necessary.
- •Rep. James McGovern (D, MA-2) pressed Cole on why the House would not vote on the Senate's bipartisan bill that passed by voice vote.
- •Republicans claimed the Senate proposal defunded border operations, while Democrats accused the majority of holding TSA paychecks hostage to satisfy a small group of extremists.
- •The House's move to amend the Senate bill likely extends the DHS shutdown because the Senate has already adjourned for a two-week spring break.
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Hearing Analysis
Overview
This hearing addressed the ongoing partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the legislative path forward to restore funding. The committee met to consider a House amendment to the Senate-passed version of H.R. 7147, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026. The central conflict involved a disagreement between a Senate-passed measure that funded specific agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard while excluding others, and a House Republican proposal for an eight-week continuing resolution (CR) to fund the entire department through May 22, 2026.
Key Testimony & Policy
Witness Tom Cole (R, OK-4), Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, testified in support of an eight-week CR. He argued that the Senate's version of H.R. 7147 was "unwise and sorely deficient" because it stripped funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations. Chairman Cole asserted that Senate Democrats had reneged on a previous bipartisan agreement to fund the full department for the remainder of the fiscal year. He emphasized that the House Republican proposal would ensure all DHS employees, including those in mission-critical roles currently working without pay, would receive back pay and guaranteed funding through late May.
Witness Rosa DeLauro (D, CT-3), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Appropriations, strongly opposed the House GOP plan, advocating instead for the House to take up the Senate-passed bill. She noted that the Senate bill had passed by voice vote with no recorded dissent and was supported by Senate Republican leadership. Ranking Member DeLauro argued that ICE and CBP were already "85 percent funded" through previous legislation, specifically referencing H.R. 1 (referred to by some members as the "Big Beautiful Bill") and a $10 billion "slush fund." She contended that the Senate bill was the only viable path to ending the shutdown immediately, as the Senate had already adjourned for a two-week recess.
The policy debate centered on whether to provide "clean" funding for all DHS components or to withhold funding for ICE and CBP pending significant operational reforms. Democrats highlighted the need for guardrails following the deaths of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preddy during encounters with federal agents. Proposed reforms included requirements for judicial warrants, prohibitions on wearing masks during enforcement actions, and protections against the detention of U.S. citizens. Republicans countered that these agencies were essential for national security and that the Biden administration's policies had led to record-high "gotaways" and fentanyl trafficking.
Notable Exchanges & Partisan Dynamics
The hearing was marked by sharp partisan exchanges regarding the "dead of night" passage of the Senate bill. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R, NC-5) and Chairman Cole criticized the Senate for passing a major funding bill at 2:20 AM without a roll call vote or committee hearings. Rep. James McGovern (D, MA-2) and Rep. Joe Neguse (D, CO-2) retorted by reminding the committee that Republicans had passed the Working Families Tax Cut Act and other major legislation in the early morning hours, calling the GOP's procedural complaints hypocritical.
Rep. James McGovern (D, MA-2) accused House Republican leadership of "malpractice" and "cowardly bowing" to the House Freedom Caucus. He argued that Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-4) was refusing to bring the bipartisan Senate bill to the floor because it would pass with an overwhelming majority, potentially threatening the Speaker's leadership position. Rep. Chip Roy (R, TX-21) defended the GOP position, stating that "precisely seven" Senate Democrats were responsible for the shutdown by refusing to support full DHS funding that included ICE and CBP.
Rep. Erin Houchin (R, IN-9) read a lengthy list of victims of crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants, arguing that defunding ICE and CBP would lead to more "border chaos and crime in the streets." Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D, NM-3) countered that the requested reforms would not stop ICE from arresting criminals but would ensure they follow the same constitutional procedures as local police, such as obtaining warrants.
Organizations Mentioned
- United States Senate: Discussed extensively regarding its passage of a "Swiss cheese" funding bill by voice vote in the early morning hours and its subsequent two-week adjournment. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): A primary point of contention; Republicans sought full operational funding while Democrats demanded reforms and argued the agency had sufficient existing funds. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): Discussed in the context of border security successes under the Trump administration versus record encounters and "gotaways" under the Biden administration. - Transportation Security Administration (TSA): Highlighted as the agency most affected by the shutdown, with reports of agents working without pay and taking "radical action" like donating plasma to make ends meet. - United States Coast Guard: Mentioned regarding the pay status of its members; witnesses clarified that uniformed personnel were being paid while civilian support staff were not. - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Identified as an agency that would be fully funded under the Senate-passed bill but remains in limbo under the current shutdown. - House Freedom Caucus: Criticized by Democrats for allegedly using "leverage" over the Speaker to prevent a vote on the bipartisan Senate funding bill. - MS-13: Mentioned by Rep. Houchin (R, IN-9) in the context of recent arrests of gang leaders by ICE agents.
What's Next
The Rules Committee's action sets the stage for a floor vote on the House amendment to H.R. 7147. However, Democrats noted that because the Senate has adjourned for two weeks, any House-passed amendment that differs from the Senate version will not be considered by the upper chamber until mid-April, effectively prolonging the DHS shutdown. Rep. Joe Neguse (D, CO-2) indicated that Democrats would attempt to defeat the "previous question" on the floor to force a vote on the Senate-passed bill. If the House passes the eight-week CR, it will remain "dead on arrival" in the Senate until they return from recess.
Transcript
Good afternoon. The committee will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. Today the Rules Committee is convening to consider the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026. In the early morning, early hours of this morning, the Senate passed a Swiss cheese-like funding proposal for the Department of Homeland Security. It is unwise and sorely deficient. The Senate's proposal is nothing more than unconditional surrender masquerading as a solution, and the House will not bend itself into submission by acquiescing. The Senate's proposal operates on the mere hope that funding from H.R. 1 can be used for every aspect of pay and resources for our nation's border protection. Going that route will undercut all new important dollars provided by the Working Families Tax Cut Act to backfill current operational needs. These points alone disqualify any serious consideration by the House. That won't fly with us. We don't operate on hope. We operate on process, deliberation, and action. Under President Trump, we have secured the border. And we'll be damned if we go down the road of passing legislation that undercuts the progress made by our Republican majorities and the administration on that front. Let's recollect just how dire the situation was at our border just over a year ago. During the Biden administration, CBP recorded more than 2 million gotaways. That's almost double what was tracked during the previous decade. 388 illegal aliens whose names appear on the terror watch list were apprehended crossing between ports of entry along the southwest and northern borders during the Biden administration, up from just 14 between the years 2017-2020. Transnational gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua infiltrated the United States and rapidly exerted growing control in U.S. cities, including a notorious takeover in Aurora, Colorado. Now let's compare this record to the Trump administration's record. October, November, and December of 2025 combined marked the lowest number of nationwide encounters to start a fiscal year in recorded history, over 76 percent lower than the encounters recorded from October through December 2024 under the Biden administration. Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry at the southwest border in December decreased 86 percent compared to December FY 2025 and 97 compared to FY 2024. Southwest border apprehensions are down over 77 percent compared to President Trump's first month in office. U.S. CBP agents apprehended an average of 209 inadmissible aliens per day along the southwest border in December, 96 percent lower than the daily average under the Biden administration. And let's not forget about the serious reduction in fentanyl trafficking that has been achieved. In 2025, fentanyl trafficking at the southern border was cut by 56 percent compared to the previous year. President Trump's decision of allocating funds to TSA is a positive and decisive development. I commend his strong display of leadership in doing so. His action allows us time to negotiate legislation that will protect the border and fund the priorities that Republicans and Democrats understand are paramount to the entire nation. Our position on this matter is as simple as it is ironclad. We won't be force-fed a non-starter by the legislative body that sits opposite of us. Our eight-week continuing resolution provides time for us to deliberate, build consensus, and move forward with a solution that is not soluble like what the Senate has offered up, all while ensuring our homeland defenders are paid. I encourage our Democrat colleagues to join us in supporting this measure. With that, I now yield to the ranking member for any comments that he wishes to make.
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