OAN Staff Addie Davis
7:58 PM – Friday, March 6, 2026
After the House passed a bill on Thursday to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through September, the House Committee on Appropriations issued a statement asserting that the passage demonstrates “bipartisan support for protecting the nation” while blaming the standoff on a “Senate Democrat-instigated shutdown.”
However, the “bipartisanship” was narrow. According to The Hill, only four Democrats crossed party lines to support the measure — a decline from the higher Democrat support seen for a similar bill in January.
The bill now moves to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it will likely remain stalled as GOP leadership lacks the Democrat support necessary to overcome a filibuster.
This hurdle was on full display earlier on Thursday when a similar DHS funding measure was blocked. Despite a 51–45 majority in favor, it fell short of the 60 votes required to advance.
Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the sole Democrat to vote with Republicans. While a simple majority of 51 can pass a bill, the 60-vote threshold remains the primary obstacle to ending the current partial DHS shutdown.
“The Senate filibuster has effectively set a 60-vote supermajority threshold for passing many types of legislation through the Senate,” according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
The battle to fund DHS, which oversees — among other agencies — TSA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has been ongoing, a partial government shutdown beginning on February 14th with federal employees now missing paychecks, according to CBS News.
The outlet noted, however, that although DHS houses ICE, the agency is still funded through a multi-billion-dollar cash infusion passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Big Bill Act (OBBBA) last year.
With the advent of U.S. military strikes against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) stressed the urgency to fund the department.
“It shouldn’t need saying that it’s always a terrible idea to use the Department of Homeland Security as a political pawn,” Thune said on Tuesday.
“Above all right now, with an enhanced terror threat from Iran and Iran-funded terrorist groups, it is vital that we ensure the Department of Homeland Security is fully funded and fully functioning,” he added.
Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) had also voiced his opposition to the bill in a press conference.
“[Donald Trump] wants to use his unauthorized war as an excuse to continue spending taxpayer dollars to brutalize or kill American citizens by continuing to unleash ICE without restriction on the American people. The whole thing is insane. Make it make sense, because it does not,” Jeffries said.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) previously suggested that a change in leadership could break the deadlock, telling CBS News that if Noem were removed, “it might be easier for us to negotiate.”
In response to President Donald Trump’s Thursday announcement that he is replacing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Jeffries said “a change in personnel is not sufficient. We need a change in policy,” according to The Hill.
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