House approves Senate bill to fund DHS and end record-setting 76-day shutdown

Key Points:

• The House unanimously approved a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), aiming to end the 76-day partial government shutdown once President Trump signs it into law.
• The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, began on February 14 and primarily stemmed from Democratic opposition to funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, key agencies in Trump's immigration crackdown.
• Senate and House leaders, along with President Trump, agreed on a two-track plan: passing the Senate DHS bill to reopen the department immediately and funding ICE and Border Patrol separately through budget reconciliation, which requires only Republican support in the Senate.
• The reconciliation process has begun after both chambers adopted a budget plan directing committees to draft legislation for immigration agency funding, with Trump aiming to have this package signed by June 1.
• Despite the shutdown, ICE and Border Patrol operations largely continued due to prior funding from last year's omnibus spending bill, but DHS payroll funding was projected to run out by early May, intensifying pressure on lawmakers.