- The House approved a bill funding DHS, ending a 75-day shutdown.
- AHLA said reopening was overdue and did not erase the damage caused.
- The bill does not provide new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Border Patrol.
THE HOUSE ON Thursday approved a bill funding much of the Department of Homeland Security, already approved by the Senate, ending a 75-day shutdown. The American Hotel & Lodging Association said reopening was long overdue and did not erase the damage caused.
President Donald Trump, who urged lawmakers to pass the bill, signed it into law Thursday afternoon, funding DHS agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Secret Service through the end of September, according to NBC News.
"We got the budget resolution passed,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. “This is very, very important, because that will ensure that border security and immigration enforcement will continue today and well into the future."
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had warned lawmakers that if funding was not passed by Thursday, emergency funds would run out and thousands of workers would go unpaid. The bill passed by voice vote without recorded individual votes.
The bill does not provide new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Border Patrol, as Democrats demand changes to immigration enforcement. Both ICE and the Border Patrol had funding during the shutdown and Republicans will try in coming weeks to extend funding through Trump’s term.
Rosanna Maietta, AHLA president and CEO, said reopening DHS was overdue but did not erase the damage caused by the shutdown.
“For months, dedicated TSA officers were used as political pawns, forced to work without reliable pay while keeping the nation’s travel system running,” she said. “That is outrageous and it left the entire travel industry bearing the consequences.”
Democrats forced a DHS shutdown on Feb. 14 after Republicans rejected their demands to change Trump administration immigration enforcement policies, including body cameras and limits on raids in schools and hospitals. In late March, the Senate unanimously approved legislation funding most DHS agencies except ICE and the Border Patrol.
The U.S. House passed a $1.2 trillion spending package in February, which President Donald Trump signed, ending a four-day partial government shutdown.
CBS News said the shutdown ended after weeks of political deadlock, with Republicans and Democrats divided over funding for immigration enforcement agencies and DHS operations. The reconciliation process is expected to be used to finalize additional funding measures in coming weeks.
Maietta said the shutdown extended beyond airports, causing canceled trips, fewer hotel guests and reduced income for nearly nine million Americans whose jobs depend on the travel economy.
“Over the past year, the federal government has been unfunded or at risk of shutdown for an extended period, creating instability that undermines consumer confidence and workforce reliability,” she said. “A functioning government is essential to a strong travel economy. Congress must ensure this is the last time this critical industry is treated as collateral damage in a political standoff.”
The budget resolution instructs congressional committees to draft legislation authorizing $70 billion for ICE and the Border Patrol over the next three years. Under the reconciliation process, Republicans could pass it without Democratic support in the House or Senate, if nearly all Republicans agree.
An estimate by the U.S. Travel Association found the U.S. government shutdown cost about $6.1 billion in economic losses across travel and related sectors. The U.S. saw an average of 88,000 fewer trips per day and $2.7 billion in trip-related losses.
