“Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security,” Trump wrote. He added that the agreement supports an ongoing effort to “expand and rebuild” the Coast Guard and urged lawmakers in both parties to approve the deal.
The Senate is expected to begin floor consideration Thursday night. If the chamber passes the legislation, the House would still need to act before current funding expires. Trump’s endorsement is viewed by lawmakers in both parties as increasing the likelihood that Republican members will ultimately vote in favor of the measure.
Trigger for Separating DHS Funding
Democratic leaders insisted on removing the Homeland Security title after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed earlier this month by federal immigration agents in Minnesota. The incident prompted renewed scrutiny of enforcement practices and complicated negotiations over DHS policy riders. Rather than reopen a series of politically divisive debates, senators opted to postpone decisions on immigration-related provisions.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office confirmed the arrangement minutes before Trump’s statement. According to Schumer aides, the temporary DHS extension would maintain current spending levels until mid-February, allowing additional time for detailed discussions on border security, immigration enforcement, and disaster relief accounts.
By contrast, the six-bill package moving forward allocates full-year funding through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. That bundle emerged from negotiations led by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins. The pair spent weeks crafting allocations acceptable to both parties in the narrowly divided chamber.
Approaching the Shutdown Deadline
Without new legislation, appropriations for a range of agencies would run out at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The affected departments perform functions that include military operations, tax collection, diplomatic missions, medical research, transportation safety, and student aid administration. A shutdown would furlough hundreds of thousands of federal employees and disrupt government services nationwide.
Senators bridged the final gap under growing pressure from business groups, state and local officials, and financial markets to maintain uninterrupted federal services. Earlier delays had prompted warnings from credit rating agencies about potential economic consequences of repeated funding lapses.
Should the Senate approve the package, House leaders must decide whether to bring the Senate bill directly to the floor or seek alterations. Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet indicated a preferred path but has previously said he aims to avoid a shutdown. The House passed its own set of appropriations earlier in the year, but those measures differ substantially from Senate versions and have not been reconciled.
Congress has relied on a series of short-term continuing resolutions since October to keep the government open. The current CR, enacted in December, expires Friday night for the departments covered by the Senate package. Funding for other agencies, including Agriculture, Energy, and Veterans Affairs, does not expire until March under a separate timeline.
Key Elements of the Six-Bill Package
Although full legislative text has not yet been released, Senate aides outlined several headline figures. Defense spending would receive the largest share, consistent with the administration’s original budget request and the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Treasury would receive resources to maintain Internal Revenue Service customer service improvements, while the State Department would secure funds for embassy security and Ukraine-related assistance.
Health and Human Services accounts include money for the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and opioid misuse prevention grants. Labor and Education titles continue support for job training programs and Pell Grants. Housing and Urban Development funding covers rental assistance and community development block grants. Transportation allocations would sustain the Federal Aviation Administration and surface infrastructure grants.
Further details are expected to appear in explanatory statements once the Senate files the final legislative language. Those documents will outline policy directives, funding levels for individual accounts, and any restrictions on agency actions. Interested readers can consult the Senate Appropriations Committee for official summaries once they become available.
Next Steps on Homeland Security
The two-week DHS extension would keep border operations, immigration courts, and the Coast Guard fully funded while negotiations continue. Appropriators must still resolve disagreements over asylum processing, detention bed capacity, and technology investments along the U.S.-Mexico border. Lawmakers will also need to determine funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, which faces heightened demand following recent severe weather events.
Senators from both parties expressed optimism that the temporary patch will create space for a more comprehensive debate on security and humanitarian concerns. However, some members warned that unresolved disputes could resurface quickly, making another short-term extension necessary if consensus remains elusive.
White House Position
While the administration has not issued a formal Statement of Administration Policy on the Senate bill, officials signaled support for the framework ahead of Trump’s social media post. The Office of Management and Budget has been preparing contingency plans for a shutdown but indicated that final guidance to agencies will depend on congressional progress.
Trump’s message aligns the White House with Senate negotiators after several weeks of uncertainty. Earlier in the year, the president had threatened to veto spending bills he believed underfunded border security or included policy riders he opposed. The revised approach appears to satisfy near-term security needs while avoiding immediate immigration policy clashes.
Timeline for Final Passage
If senators clear the procedural hurdles Thursday night, a final vote could occur as early as Friday. The House would then have only hours to act before funding expires. Leaders there could attempt to pass the bill by unanimous consent or suspension of the rules, options that require bipartisan cooperation, or hold a recorded vote on the floor.
Should any delays arise, lawmakers have discussed the possibility of a very short one-day continuing resolution to cover the gap. Congressional leaders have not yet committed to that contingency, preferring to conclude work before the deadline.
As of Thursday evening, no senator had placed a formal hold on the measure, though members retain the right to object during floor proceedings. Any single senator can slow consideration under Senate rules, potentially pushing the debate into the early hours of Saturday.
Congressional staff continued drafting the legislative text and compiling explanatory materials after the deal was announced. Once published, the final bill number and section-by-section summaries will be posted to official congressional websites for public review.
Crédito da imagem: Samuel Corum | Getty Images
