Congressman Gabe Evans voted on Mar. 27 to advance a 60-day continuing resolution aimed at reopening the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while rejecting a Senate proposal that excludes funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The issue centers on whether all components of DHS, including law enforcement agencies responsible for border security and immigration enforcement, should receive full funding during an ongoing partial government shutdown. The Senate’s proposed legislation would reopen parts of DHS but leaves out ICE and CBP, agencies described as critical to national security.
“House Republicans have voted and passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security three separate times. Meanwhile Senate Democrats have struck down every opportunity to fully fund the hardworking Americans who protect our homeland, instead pushing their radical defund-the-police and open border policies and willingly creating crisis and chaos across the country. While Democrats continue to lie about their concern for the safety and well-being of their constituents, I will continue to fight as we work to fully fund these critical agencies and deliver on the America-first promises I made,” Congressman Gabe Evans said.
According to information from Evans’ office, previous House GOP efforts included passing H.Res 1128 expressing support for DHS personnel, H.R.8029 known as the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act which ensures pay for frontline employees, as well as H.R.7147 and H.R.7744—both designed to provide full funding for DHS operations.
The partial government shutdown has lasted 42 days—the longest in American history—disrupting multiple agency operations within DHS such as airport security managed by TSA officers, disaster preparedness by FEMA, cybersecurity by CISA, alongside immigration enforcement by ICE and CBP. Testimony from TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeil indicated that airport wait times are at record highs with significant staff shortages leading some airports to seek donations for unpaid personnel.
Evans’ vote supports temporarily restoring funding across all components of DHS while allowing Congress more time to negotiate a long-term solution that secures comprehensive funding for national security efforts.