The US Congress has approved most of the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, ending a 75-day partial government shutdown. The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday a few hours before a deadline for a budget bill that had already passed the Senate. It now has to be signed by US President Donald Trump.
Under the law, agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is responsible for airport security checkpoints, and the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president, will receive their normal funding.
However, the law does not provide any additional money for the controversial immigration and border protection authorities, which are also subordinate to the Department of Homeland Security. The political dispute that triggered the standstill remains unresolved.
Funding for key Department of Homeland Security agencies is now secured through the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned before the vote that emergency funds used to cover salaries would soon run out. The partial shutdown paralyzed important authorities for over two months, and the salaries of the affected officials were frozen.
After the killing of two US citizens during protests against the ICE immigration agency in the city of Minneapolis in January, the opposition Democrats called for stricter requirements for emergency services, including a ban on masks. Republicans rejected these demands. Instead, they pushed for full funding for the authorities without new conditions.
