Congress ended a record 76-day government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security on April 30, 2026, when President Trump signed a bill to fund most of the agency’s operations—the longest funding lapse of any federal department in U.S. history.
The House approved the measure by voice vote after weeks of delay, restoring federal dollars to the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The bill excluded funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, the two agencies at the center of the political impasse.
The shutdown began on February 14, 2026, after Congress failed to agree on DHS appropriations amid disputes over immigration enforcement. Democrats had sought reforms to ICE and Border Patrol operations, including bans on face masks during arrests and requirements for judicial warrants. When bipartisan negotiations stalled, the Senate passed legislation in late March to fund DHS without those two agencies, but House Republicans initially rejected the approach, arguing it would undermine enforcement efforts.
The funding lapse took a toll across DHS. More than 1,100 TSA officers quit during the shutdown, and the agency halted preparations for the World Cup soccer games scheduled for U.S. cities that summer. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned in late April that the department would run out of payroll money within days, forcing Trump to redirect emergency funds to cover employee paychecks in March.
When the 2018-2019 government shutdown lasted 35 days, it became the longest in U.S. history at that time. The 2026 DHS shutdown surpassed that record by more than a month, underscoring the depth of the partisan divide over immigration policy.
Speaker Mike Johnson said House Republicans had held up the funding bill to ensure they could pursue a separate party-line package to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the budget reconciliation process, which allows Republicans to bypass the Senate filibuster. Trump demanded that package reach his desk by June 1. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the top Democrat on the DHS funding panel, said Republicans were “willing to do anything in order to preserve Trump’s right to run a completely out-of-control illegal agency,” while Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro noted she had proposed the same approach—funding all but ICE—nearly 80 days earlier.
Sources
- Politico — reported the 76-day lapse, House voice vote, agencies funded, TSA officer quits, payroll concerns, and Speaker Johnson’s statement
- CBS News — confirmed the 76-day shutdown as the longest of any federal department, the April 30 signing, agencies funded, and the two-track funding approach
- NPR — provided context on the 2018-2019 35-day shutdown as the previous longest full government shutdown
- Homeland Security Today — confirmed the 76-day duration and end of the shutdown
