An unexpected turnaround. On Wednesday, April 1st, Republican lawmakers announced that they had reached an agreement to end the partial government shutdown in the United States. After several weeks of shutdown, Mike Johnson, the president of the House of Representatives, and John Thune, the majority leader in the Senate, agreed to unblock the funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This compromise will restore funding for most of the ministry’s services, while deferring the most contested expenses related to immigration enforcement (ICE) to a separate bill. “By adopting this dual approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the ministry” and “ensure that all federal employees are paid,” Mike Johnson and John Thune said in a joint statement. However, a few days ago, conservative lawmakers in the House had rejected a similar proposal from the Senate. The agreement finally reached could pave the way for a vote as early as Thursday, April 2nd.
Hours of waiting in airports
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security has been frozen since mid-February, due to deep disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on ICE practices. Pending a new budget, thousands of security agents are working without pay at airports. Some are not hesitating to call in sick or even resign. This shortage of staff is causing long wait times at security checkpoints.
