WASHINGTON — With a partial government shutdown deadline approaching, Democratic Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey publicly urged House Republican leaders on Sunday to bring a bipartisan Senate-passed bill funding the Department of Homeland Security to the floor, predicting it would secure passage.
In a series of television interviews, Kim pointed to the unanimous consent passage in the Senate of a legislative package that includes funding for the Transportation Security Administration and other DHS agencies. The bill now sits in the House, where Republican leadership has yet to schedule a vote. “We have a bill that passed the Senate unanimously,” Kim stated, attributing the measure’s success to its bipartisan construction. “If it reached the House floor, I believe it would pass.”
The push comes amid recurring fiscal standoffs in Congress. Analysts note that funding for DHS, which includes TSA, Customs and Border Protection, and FEMA, is often a flashpoint in broader appropriations battles. The current continuing resolution, a stopgap funding measure, is set to expire, threatening operational disruptions. A senior Democratic aide, speaking on background, confirmed that the Senate bill represents a compromise worked out between party leaders and key appropriators.
Sources within the House suggest the Republican conference is divided on the path forward, with a faction of conservative members pushing for stricter immigration and border security provisions to be attached to any DHS spending bill. This internal dynamic has complicated Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability to marshal votes for a clean funding extension.
Looking ahead, the impasse poses a direct risk to TSA operations and frontline homeland security personnel. “Failure to act before the deadline would mean agents and officers working without pay,” a DHS official warned, noting that essential personnel would be required to report to duty regardless. The coming days will test whether bipartisan Senate momentum can overcome House gridlock, or if the nation will face another disruptive funding lapse.