In a dramatic 3 a.m. session, the Senate unanimously approved a short-term appropriations bill that would restore funding to nearly every branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and portions of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Majority Leader John Thune called the vote “a good-faith down payment on getting planes moving and passports printed again.”
Why it matters: The 42-day shutdown has gutted critical mobility infrastructure. TSA agents have been screening 2.2 million passengers a day without pay; Global Entry enrollment centers are dark; and USCIS has suspended premium processing for employment-based petitions, pushing start dates for multinational new hires into late summer. Reopening 90 percent of DHS would immediately unlock $4.7 billion in back pay, reactivate routine visa issuance and passport services, and allow corporate mobility planners to restart stalled relocations.
For employers and travelers trying to capitalize on the quick restart of passport and visa services, VisaHQ can be a force multiplier. The company’s online platform tracks appointment openings at U.S. consulates worldwide in real time, provides step-by-step document checklists, and offers courier options that shave valuable days off processing times. Explore how their experts can keep global mobility programs on schedule at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
![Overnight Senate Vote Would Reopen Most of DHS—But Leaves ICE and Border Patrol on the Table]()
What’s in the bill? • Full FY 2026 operations funding through 30 September for TSA, the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs passport agencies, FEMA, CISA and USCIS. • A separate negotiating window—60 days—for reforms to ICE and CBP enforcement practices after high-profile use-of-force incidents this winter. • A directive for DHS to publish weekly metrics on airport wait times, visa issuance volumes and asylum processing to improve transparency for travelers.
Airports Council International-North America said the measure “would stabilize staffing before the heavy summer schedule.” The Business Roundtable urged the House to pass the bill, noting that member companies have more than 12,000 foreign employees awaiting visa appointments overseas.
Next steps: The legislation moves to the House, where Speaker Johnson has declared it “dead on arrival.” If the chambers cannot reconcile their approaches, analysts expect the White House to explore emergency authorities—such as drawing on user-fee balances—to keep TSA checkpoints open, a move that could trigger fresh litigation. For now, mobility managers should continue contingency planning: purchase changeable tickets, build in longer layovers, and keep H-1B candidates on flexible project timelines.
Why it matters: The 42-day shutdown has gutted critical mobility infrastructure. TSA agents have been screening 2.2 million passengers a day without pay; Global Entry enrollment centers are dark; and USCIS has suspended premium processing for employment-based petitions, pushing start dates for multinational new hires into late summer. Reopening 90 percent of DHS would immediately unlock $4.7 billion in back pay, reactivate routine visa issuance and passport services, and allow corporate mobility planners to restart stalled relocations.
For employers and travelers trying to capitalize on the quick restart of passport and visa services, VisaHQ can be a force multiplier. The company’s online platform tracks appointment openings at U.S. consulates worldwide in real time, provides step-by-step document checklists, and offers courier options that shave valuable days off processing times. Explore how their experts can keep global mobility programs on schedule at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
What’s in the bill? • Full FY 2026 operations funding through 30 September for TSA, the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs passport agencies, FEMA, CISA and USCIS. • A separate negotiating window—60 days—for reforms to ICE and CBP enforcement practices after high-profile use-of-force incidents this winter. • A directive for DHS to publish weekly metrics on airport wait times, visa issuance volumes and asylum processing to improve transparency for travelers.
Airports Council International-North America said the measure “would stabilize staffing before the heavy summer schedule.” The Business Roundtable urged the House to pass the bill, noting that member companies have more than 12,000 foreign employees awaiting visa appointments overseas.
Next steps: The legislation moves to the House, where Speaker Johnson has declared it “dead on arrival.” If the chambers cannot reconcile their approaches, analysts expect the White House to explore emergency authorities—such as drawing on user-fee balances—to keep TSA checkpoints open, a move that could trigger fresh litigation. For now, mobility managers should continue contingency planning: purchase changeable tickets, build in longer layovers, and keep H-1B candidates on flexible project timelines.
