US Department of Homeland Security "Shutdown" Nears One Month as Senate Appropriations Bill Faces Another Setback

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been “shut down” for nearly a month, but the bipartisan fight over funding legislation for the department continues. On the 12th, due to opposition from Democrats, a bill providing funding for the Department of Homeland Security was again blocked in a procedural vote in the Senate, preventing it from moving forward, and the department remains “shut down.”

The bill received 51 votes in favor and 46 against in the procedural vote, with only one Democratic senator supporting it, failing to reach the 60 votes needed to advance. The dispute between the two parties over DHS funding has lasted for several weeks. In January, federal law enforcement officers in Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota, shot and killed two American citizens, sparking protests across the country. Democrats strongly called for reforms to DHS and federal law enforcement actions.

Earlier, due to the failure of the two parties to reach an agreement on annual funding in a timely manner, some government agencies experienced a brief “shutdown” from January 31 to February 3. Democrats demanded that DHS funding be removed from a comprehensive government funding bill, which was subsequently passed for other departments, while DHS received only two weeks of funding at current levels to allow continued negotiations between the two parties and the White House. DHS funding expired on February 13.

Democrats’ demands included halting mobile patrols, tightening search warrant rules, requiring federal agents to adhere to the same use-of-force standards as local law enforcement, and federal agents “removing masks and turning on body cameras.” Over the past four weeks, progress in immigration enforcement negotiations has been minimal.

Due to the ongoing shutdown, DHS functions—including its subordinate agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard, and Federal Emergency Management Agency—have been severely impacted. Shortages of airport security personnel have caused long queues and congestion at some airports. (Xinhua)