A bitter standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security has entered its fourth week, and Senate Republicans are now accusing Democrats of attempting to dismantle the agency piece by piece as negotiations remain frozen.
The partial shutdown has now stretched to 27 days with little progress toward a resolution. Communication breakdowns between both parties have deepened the impasse, leaving critical homeland security operations caught in the political crossfire.
At the center of the dispute are Democratic demands for significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and members of his caucus have insisted that any long-term funding agreement must include changes to the immigration enforcement agency.
Republicans, however, have refused to budge on that demand.
Instead of supporting a comprehensive funding package for the Department of Homeland Security, Senate Democrats have attempted to pass individual funding bills for specific components of the agency. Those proposals would reopen programs like the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency while leaving immigration enforcement operations unresolved.
It is the 27th day that DHS employees continue to work without pay.
Over 300 airport security officers have left TSA since the start of the DHS shutdown.
Airport chaos, terrorists’ threats on our soil. @RepGoodlander, can you and your party put people over politics? pic.twitter.com/bYQy9oaCpe
— Lily Tang Williams (@Lily4Liberty) March 12, 2026
Republicans say that strategy amounts to dismantling DHS at a time when national security threats are rising.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., sharply criticized the approach during a heated exchange on the Senate floor, warning that the country faces elevated risks as tensions abroad escalate.
Barrasso pointed to the ongoing war in Iran and concerns about potential retaliation in the United States by sleeper cells, arguing that weakening the structure of the homeland security apparatus is dangerous.
“At a time when our homeland is under attack and all warning lights are flashing red, they want to peel apart piece by piece the Department of Homeland Security,” Barrasso said. “They want to stand with illegal immigrant criminals.”
Schumer defended the piecemeal funding strategy, arguing that reopening portions of the agency would relieve pressure on federal workers and travelers while negotiations continue over immigration enforcement.
“We don’t have to tie that disagreement up and use people at the airports and American citizens as hostages,” Schumer said.
Some Democrats believe the strategy could attract Republican support because immigration enforcement agencies like ICE were already funded through President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending measure known as the One Big, Beautiful Bill.
But Republicans say the proposal is a nonstarter.
NEW: Austin Airport chaos!
Line to get in stretches out the door & down the street due to staffing issues amid Democrat DHS shutdown
35,000 travelers expected Friday — TSA & CBP hit hardest, says AUS Deputy Chief Sam Haines
Insane.
— Mf.GenZ
NEW: Austin Airport chaos!
: 
(@mf_genz) Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., blasted the idea of carving out ICE funding, warning it would effectively revive a political movement reminiscent of the “defund the police” push that emerged during earlier national debates over law enforcement.
Democrats have rejected those claims.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who introduced a funding bill that excludes both ICE and Customs and Border Protection, said Republicans are mischaracterizing the proposal. Murray argued that immigration enforcement already received funding through Trump’s previous spending bill and said Democrats have been transparent about their refusal to fund ICE again without reforms.
Republican leadership has countered that they have repeatedly attempted to reopen the department with short-term funding measures.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans proposed temporary two-week continuing resolutions to keep the entire agency operating while negotiations continue. Democrats blocked those efforts.
Meanwhile, lawmakers on both sides have attempted various strategies to break the deadlock, including temporary funding plans and standalone agency bills. Every attempt so far has failed.
The standoff is now beginning to affect travelers and federal workers directly.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., attempted to force a vote on a standalone bill to fund the Transportation Security Administration as airport lines grow longer nationwide while TSA employees continue working without pay.
Rosen argued that Republicans’ decision to block the vote shows misplaced priorities.
“It says the Republican priorities are just for Donald Trump and no one else,” Rosen said.
With neither side showing signs of backing down, the shutdown fight over the Department of Homeland Security appears likely to continue as immigration policy remains one of the most explosive political battles in Washington.
