White House orders Homeland Security shutdown as funding lapses at midnight

By Gregory Korte

 

The White House ordered the Department of Homeland Security to begin shutdown procedures as its funding from Congress expires at midnight — the third time parts of the US government will have shut down in the last six months.  

The shutdown will affect DHS functions other than immigration and border enforcement, which are broadly covered through multi-year funding from the tax-and-spending bill passed by Congress last July. Other security-sensitive jobs will also be deemed essential, and those employees will report to work without pay. 

 

While the shutdown formally takes effect at midnight, DHS employees were instructed to report to work and begin an “orderly shutdown” on their next regularly scheduled shift — which for most workers will be Tuesday following the observation of Presidents’ Day on Monday. 

 

 

The White House often uses similar shutdown memos for political signaling, and Friday’s memo from White House budget director Russ Vought framed the shutdown as a consequence of unreasonable demands from Democrats. 

 

The Homeland Security spending was carved out from a larger spending package last week while Congress debated reforms to immigration enforcement following protests and fatal shootings by DHS officers in Minnesota.

 

Vought specifically referred to President Donald Trump’s decision to end that operation — known as “Operation Metro Surge” — as a concession to congressional Democrats.

 

“The administration will continue to seek good-faith, bipartisan solutions to complete the appropriations process and avoid another damaging government shutdown,” Vought said.

 

Congress, which has to approve DHS funding, is on a week-long recess.