All articles tagged with #government shutdown
The Senate unanimously approved a resolution, led by Sen. John Kennedy, to withhold senators’ pay during any lapse in federal funding, with the withheld wages released once a shutdown ends. The measure, which applies only to the Senate and takes effect after the next election because of the 27th Amendment, aims to deter shutdowns, though Kennedy acknowledged it won’t stop all future gaps in funding.
The Senate approved a resolution to bar its members from receiving pay during future government shutdowns, a move pushed by Sen. John Kennedy in response to two recent shutdowns (a 43-day federal shutdown in 2025 and a 76-day Homeland Security shutdown earlier this year). The measure, which passed by voice vote and would take effect in November after the midterms, does not require House approval or the president and is considered binding only on senators. Some lawmakers questioned its constitutionality, though Kennedy argues it’s not unconstitutional, and Senate leaders like Chuck Schumer expressed support while it remains unclear whether the House would adopt a similar pay-withholding rule.
The Senate unanimously approved a resolution to withhold senators’ pay during government shutdowns, to be executed by the secretary of the Senate and released once funding is restored; the measure, sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy, would take effect after the November 3 election and would apply only to the Senate, not the House, amid concerns about the financial hardship faced by federal workers during closures.
The longest U.S. government shutdown ended after President Trump signed a House-passed bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security, easing pay for DHS workers while ICE funding remains a point of contention. A 45-day extension of the FISA program was approved to buy time for reforms, and Congress moved to curb senators’ betting on prediction markets. In health news, the president withdrew Casey Means’s nomination for surgeon general and named Dr. Nicole Saphier as the replacement.
The House unanimously approved the Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, sending it to President Trump and setting the stage to end the record 76-day shutdown once he signs. Funding for ICE and Border Patrol will come through a parallel budget reconciliation process, with Trump aiming to have the package on his desk by June and payroll concerns for DHS employees looming by May.
A CBS News exclusive reports the Coast Guard is in a funding-induced crisis as the DHS shutdown enters its 75th day: over $300 million owed and $5.2 million in overdue utility bills have led to power, water, and gas outages at bases and housing, forcing pay uncertainty for May and threatening readiness, recruitment, and maritime operations overseas.
Republican leaders Johnson and Thune clash over how to fund DHS: push ICE and Border Patrol funding through reconciliation while other DHS funds go through normal appropriations; the Senate bill’s language zeroing out ICE/Border Patrol funding is a flashpoint. Johnson proposes a revised version to win House votes with minimal substance changes, while Thune signals openness to edits. Any deal may require reconciling the House and Senate versions, potentially delaying passage and risking a mid-May shutdown.
Top Republicans race to end a 72-day DHS funding stalemate that could cut pay for federal workers, including the Secret Service, while contending with fights over immigration enforcement, Section 702 FISA authorities, and internal GOP divisions over whether to work with Democrats to pass must-pass bills before the midterms.
President Trump plans to nominate David Cummins, a Serco executive with transportation leadership experience, to head the Transportation Security Administration. Cummins would replace acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill through Senate confirmation, as TSA contends with funding instability and staffing shortfalls amid surging travel and looming events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The agency has seen hundreds of officer resignations during the ongoing DHS shutdown; the last Senate-confirmed TSA administrator was David Pekoske in 2022, and McNeill has warned that budget lapses are straining operations during the longest partial government shutdown on record.
CBS News documents how the 68-day partial DHS shutdown has stretched operations and morale across the department: offices run short on paper, trips and reimbursements go unpaid, and thousands of staff face unpaid bills, with TSA losing hundreds of officers to resignation and morale eroding; FEMA is nearing Immediate Needs Funding as the Disaster Relief Fund dwindles, threatening hurricane-season readiness and long-term recovery; other agencies cut training, delay intelligence and cyber work, and a Capitol Hill funding standoff delays border and immigration priorities, leaving a fragile system waiting for a narrowly scoped funding package to restore normal operations.
A new Gallup poll (April 1–15, 2026; 1,001 adults; margin of error ±4) shows just 10% of Americans approve of Congress while 86% disapprove, matching a historic high in the poll’s 50+ year history. Disapproval is linked to ongoing shutdowns, the partial DHS shutdown, ethics investigations, and sexual misconduct allegations, with Republican approval around 20%. The live updates also note Democratic gains in Virginia redistricting led by Hakeem Jeffries, who vows “maximum warfare” against Republicans, signaling continued partisan battles ahead of midterm contests and related votes on immigration funding and surveillance programs.
The ongoing DHS funding lapse is hindering preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, slowing coordination with state and local authorities and leading to hundreds of unpaid TSA officers leaving. At a Senate hearing, officials warned of drones, cyber threats, and other security challenges while stressing readiness, even as lawmakers caution that visa/travel dynamics and Trump-era rhetoric could dampen attendance and economic benefits for host communities.
Washington remains in a protracted standoff over Department of Homeland Security funding, risking tens of thousands of federal workers going unpaid for weeks or months while negotiations falter amid GOP divisions and Democratic resistance to immigration-enforcement changes; despite Trump paying TSA payroll and a Senate plan to fund most of DHS, House Republicans rejected it, leaving no clear bipartisan path before a potential summer deadlock as airport lines have temporarily eased.
HuffPost’s live updates center on President Trump’s escalating warnings toward Iran, including threats to target energy and water infrastructure, as a partial U.S. government shutdown reaches a record length, with other political and international headlines interwoven in the feed.
Senate Republicans convened a brief session but did not advance the House’s DHS funding bill, leaving the government shutdown in place as lawmakers are on a two‑week recess. Democrats would block funding that excludes immigration enforcement, and talks continue on alternatives, including a three-year funding plan outside normal appropriations. TSA workers will start receiving overdue pay this week, and President Trump and GOP leaders are pressing to end the stalemate, including discussions of bypassing the filibuster, though no votes have occurred.