Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is urging Republicans to consider funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection separately from the rest of the Department of Homeland Security as a weeks-long funding lapse drives longer airport lines, missed paychecks for Transportation Security Administration officers, and a deepening fight with Democrats over immigration enforcement.
Cruz said Saturday that if Democrats will not agree to fund the full department, Republicans should move ICE and CBP through budget reconciliation, which would let the Senate act with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes usually needed to overcome a filibuster, The Hill reported.
The proposal tracks a broader Republican argument that immigration enforcement should be insulated from the standoff over DHS spending.
The pressure is growing because the shutdown is now disrupting air travel.
Reuters reported this week that DHS said TSA absenteeism had reached 10.2% nationally on a recent day, with some large airports far higher, and that about 366 TSA officers had quit since the funding lapse began Feb. 13.
Part of Cruz's case rests on money Republicans already approved last year.
Outside budget analysts have said the One Big Beautiful Bill provided a large multiyear infusion of $172 billion for immigration and border enforcement, which has shaped the current Republican view that ICE funding can be handled separately from the rest of DHS.
Democrats, meanwhile, have pushed the opposite approach.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said March 11 that she sought unanimous consent to fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, CISA, and other DHS components while excluding ICE, CBP, and the Office of the Secretary.
Her request was blocked by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Murray's office said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., did not rule out alternatives, but said he preferred a full-department funding agreement.
"There are a lot of ideas swirling around right now, but the best way would be for us to come together" on a deal to fund the entire department, he said Saturday.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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