Johnson Rejects Senate DHS Funding Bill, Prolonging Florida Airport Delays

House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a Senate-passed bill Friday that would have ended the 42-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, leaving funding for the agency unresolved and extending a standoff that has snarled air travel across Florida.

The Senate approved the measure around 2 a.m. Friday, funding most of DHS through September — including the Transportation Security Administration and FEMA — while withholding money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. The partial-funding compromise cleared the Senate but hit an immediate wall in the House. "This gambit that was done last night is a joke," Johnson said Friday morning.

For Treasure Coast travelers flying out of Palm Beach International or Vero Beach Regional Airport, the shutdown has already meant longer TSA screening lines and missed flights. The consequences stem from a TSA officer shortage caused by missed paychecks over the past six weeks. President Trump signed a memo Friday to pay TSA officers, though the mechanism for releasing those funds was not specified in the order. FEMA, which coordinates disaster recovery programs active in St. Lucie and Indian River counties, has continued operating on prior appropriations but faces funding uncertainty beyond this fiscal year if the shutdown is not resolved.

Johnson said the House would instead vote Friday evening on a bill to fund all of DHS through May 22. He said Trump backed the plan and expressed optimism the Senate could pass it as early as Monday — though senators have already departed for a two-week recess. Senate Democrats, who triggered the shutdown by refusing to fund immigration enforcement after federal officers killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, say they will not support any bill that restores ICE funding without structural reforms, including a ban on officers wearing face coverings during enforcement operations. Top Senate Democrats said Friday they would continue pressing for those changes.

ICE has remained funded throughout the shutdown through a separate $75 billion congressional appropriation approved last summer and has continued operations during the standoff.

What This Means for the Treasure Coast: TSA staffing shortages tied to missed paychecks have extended screening wait times at regional airports serving Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River county residents. FEMA, which administers ongoing disaster-recovery grants in the region, has continued operating but would face a funding cliff without a full DHS appropriation. The House vote is expected Friday evening; the Senate's earliest possible action is Monday.

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