The current partial budget paralysis forces thousands of airport security agents to work without being paid since mid-February.
Republican lawmakers announced on Wednesday that they had reached an agreement to end the partial budget paralysis in the United States and fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after days of chaos in the country’s airports. This agreement, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, will restore funding for most of the department’s services, while deferring the most contentious expenses related to immigration enforcement to a separate bill.
This is a significant turnaround for conservative lawmakers in the House, who had rejected a similar proposal supported by the Senate a few days ago. They revived it under pressure from Donald Trump. The DHS is expected to be funded until the end of the fiscal year, while agencies implementing Donald Trump’s immigration policy – including ICE – would rely on funds approved last year.
By adopting this dual approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the department and ensure that all federal employees are paid,” said Mike Johnson and John Thune in a joint statement. The compromise could pave the way for a vote as early as Thursday. The text could be adopted during largely procedural sessions, if no lawmaker objects. The current partial budget paralysis forces thousands of airport security agents to work without being paid since mid-February. Democrats have opposed funding for the DHS and its immigration enforcement agency (ICE) following the deaths in January of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two Americans killed by federal agents in Minneapolis during protests against the government’s anti-immigration policy.
[Context: The article discusses the impact of the partial budget paralysis in the United States on airport security agents and the recent agreement reached by Republican lawmakers to end the paralysis].
[Fact Check: It is crucial to verify the accuracy of the statements made by lawmakers regarding the funding agreement and its implications for federal employees before publication].
