DHS shutdown set to stretch on with Congress on 2-week break

Key Points:

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown has become the longest in history at 45 days, with no resolution in sight after House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed funding plan that excluded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• TSA employees have begun receiving partial back pay following President Trump's directive, but over 500 TSA agents have quit amid worsening conditions at airports due to the prolonged shutdown.
• Senate Democrats and the White House had been negotiating ICE reforms, but as talks stalled, the Senate passed a funding measure excluding ICE, which House Republicans criticized and replaced with an alternative full DHS funding plan that passed with minimal Democratic support.
• Neither the House nor Senate is scheduled to return until mid-April, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune is working with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who insists on the Senate-approved funding terms, making bipartisan agreement challenging.
• Some Republicans, including Sen. Mike Lee, are urging an early congressional return to increase pressure for DHS funding, while White House officials emphasize the need to fund the department fully to support TSA and ICE operations during the shutdown.