House Ends Record DHS Shutdown, Sends Funding Bill to Trump

The House voted Thursday to restore funding to most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the longest agency shutdown in the department's history and averting a looming collapse in airport security staffing that had threatened to snarl travel across the country, including at airports serving the Treasure Coast.

The bipartisan package, passed by voice vote without a formal roll call, now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature. DHS had been operating without routine appropriations since Feb. 14—a stretch of more than 75 days—causing sustained financial hardship for federal workers across the agency.

For travelers using Palm Beach International Airport, which handles the bulk of commercial air traffic for Martin and St. Lucie County residents, the vote eliminates a mounting threat. The White House had warned that temporary funds Trump tapped to keep Transportation Security Administration officers paid would "soon run out," and agency officials had raised the prospect of checkpoint disruptions at airports nationwide. TSA employees at PBI and other regional facilities had been working under that same fiscal uncertainty.

The bill funds broad DHS operations but carves out immigration enforcement, which remains separately funded—a distinction that reflects the central political fault line that held up the measure for months. The Senate passed the identical package unanimously more than a month ago, but the legislation stalled in a House where Speaker Mike Johnson's narrow Republican majority has struggled to advance spending bills amid persistent internal party divisions.

"It is about damn time," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who first introduced the measure more than two months ago.

Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), whose FL-21 district covers Martin and St. Lucie counties, did not appear among lawmakers publicly recorded in opposition. The voice-vote procedure means no individual member tally was recorded. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump is expected to sign the bill. No signing date has been announced publicly.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.