Mullin Blames Democrats as Trump Signs Bill Ending 11‑Week DHS Shutdown

TL;DR: The House passed a voice‑vote bill funding DHS while leaving out ICE and CBP, ending an 11‑week partial shutdown that had left thousands of employees without pay. President Trump signed the measure, prompting Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to blame Democrats for the impasse and thank the unpaid workforce, while Rep. Zoe Lofgren welcomed the restoration of TSA and FEMA funding but urged Congress to impose tighter oversight on immigration agencies.

Context The shutdown started on February 14 after lawmakers could not agree on a DHS appropriations bill that would fund ICE and CBP, with Democrats demanding reforms such as a ban on masked agents, a prohibition on racial profiling, and limits on raids in schools and churches. Republicans, who hold majorities in both the House and Senate, initially resisted the Democratic conditions, and House Speaker Mike Johnson kept the Senate‑approved bill off the floor for more than a month. Trump’s public endorsement of the legislation eventually gave Johnson the political cover to bring the measure to a voice‑vote on Thursday.

Key Facts On Thursday the House approved the funding measure by voice vote, a procedural move that records no individual dissent and allows rapid passage. The bill allocates money for the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other DHS components, but explicitly excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Mullin posted on X that the "Democrat shutdown NEVER should have happened" and thanked DHS employees who have worked without pay, while Lofgren said the funding of TSA and FEMA is welcome news and urged Congress to hold ICE and CBP to the same standards as every other police officer in the country.

What It Means With the president’s signature, approximately 240,000 DHS workers are set to receive back pay, allowing airport security lines to shorten and disaster‑response teams to resume full operations. However, the underlying disagreement over immigration enforcement persists; ICE and CBP continue to operate under previous appropriations but now face renewed scrutiny from both parties over tactics and accountability. The episode illustrates how funding lapses remain a lever for policy concessions, even when unified party control might be expected to prevent such standoffs.

What to watch next Watch whether Senate Republicans attempt to use the reconciliation process to secure funding for ICE and CBP, bypassing the filibuster, and whether Democrats will reintroduce their reform package in the next appropriations cycle. Also monitor any legal challenges that could arise from the exclusion of those agencies from the current DHS budget.