The Department of Homeland Security has shut down after lawmakers failed to meet a midnight Friday deadline to fund the agency and its workforce of more than 260,000 people.
The department saw its baseline funding expire after lawmakers left town for a week-long recess, but without a deal to rein in the conduct of federal immigration officers. Democrats say that after two U.S. citizens were shot dead by immigration officers in Minneapolis, they need reforms cemented into law before agreeing to fund the department.
The shutdown is now the third in a matter of months, but unlike the others, this one is more limited. It only affects DHS, not other federal agencies. Still, the department is sweeping in its scope, responsible not only for immigration enforcement, but also disaster response and airport security.
As lawmakers and the White House look to break the impasse, here are five things to know about the shutdown.
1. It's hard to know how long the shutdown will last
Democrats have spelled out a list of 10 demands, but finding consensus has been tough. Some asks, like requiring immigration officers to wear body cameras, appear to enjoy bipartisan support. But GOP lawmakers have pushed back on other demands, like prohibiting agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities. Republicans say doing so would make it easier for people to doxx federal officers.
Republicans in the Senate tried to pass a short-term funding extension on Thursday to allow time for negotiations to play out, but Democrats blocked that measure before lawmakers in both chambers left the Capitol for the recess. The vote came after a White House counteroffer that Democrats rejected as "insufficient and incomplete."
"Democrats will not support a blank check for chaos," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "This vote today asked a simple question: Will you rein in ICE's abuses or will you vote to extend the chaos. Republicans chose chaos. The Democrats, we refused."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said lawmakers have been told to be ready to return from recess if a deal is reached, though he indicated that would be unlikely.
"I just think at the moment we're not close," Thune told reporters.
2. Immigration enforcement is likely to continue uninterrupted
During two congressional hearings this week, the leaders of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection told lawmakers their agencies would likely not see significant impact on their enforcement operations since both agencies received more than $70 billion from Congress last summer as part of the GOP's massive tax and spending bill.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said the shutdown could affect DHS's work on transnational crime, but he did not note any impact to immigration operations. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott didn't detail how the shutdown would affect personnel, just saying: "I agree America becomes less safe."
Another agency unlikely to see much interruption is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow reminded House lawmakers that his agency is funded primarily by the fees people pay when they submit various forms and applications, so his employees would still get paid.
3. Air travelers could see delays ... eventually
Most of the Transportation Security Administration's roughly 64,000 employees are considered "essential" workers and have to stay on the job.
Still, travelers across the U.S. could feel the impact of the shutdown — particularly if it lasts more than a few weeks. In past shutdowns, airport security workers stayed home from work in greater numbers when they started missing paychecks, citing "financial limitations."
And TSA leaders say many are still feeling the effects of the lengthy funding lapse in October and November.
"We saw a lot of folks have to take on second jobs, making for extremely long work days," said Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting administrator of the TSA, at a House hearing on Wednesday. "Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown. Many are still reeling from it. We cannot put them through another such experience."
The number of unscheduled absences among TSA workers doubled or even tripled at some airports during the last shutdown, according to McNeill. The threat of repeated shutdowns also makes it harder to attract and retain workers, she said.
Some may feel more motivated to show up for work this time because of the $10,000 bonuses that DHS leaders gave screeners for "exemplary service" after the previous finding lapse — though it remains unclear exactly how many workers received those bonuses, or how they were selected.
Fortunately for travelers, February is a relatively quiet month for the U.S. aviation industry. But traffic tends to pick up in March, when the spring break travel season begins. Air traffic controllers work for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is not part of DHS, so they should not be directly affected by a shutdown.
4. Federal disaster response will still be available, but may be slowed down
The country's top disaster recovery agency will be affected by the shutdown, but the agency will still be able to respond to emergencies.
FEMA supports state and local governments when large disasters happen, including major hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires. For example, FEMA had staff, food and generators available during the ice storm that hit the eastern half of the U.S. earlier this winter.
That type of assistance is paid for with money from the Disaster Relief Fund, which was established by Congress. On Wednesday, FEMA Associate Administrator Gregg Phillips told Congress that the fund "has sufficient balances to continue emergency response activities for the foreseeable future."
FEMA also helps pay for the costs of disaster recovery, including repairs to homes, schools and roads, hauling away debris and building infrastructure such as flood walls that can help protect people during the next disaster. That work often takes years, and it will be slowed down by the shutdown because some employees may be furloughed, and some types of funding will not be available.
"A government shutdown would severely disrupt FEMA's ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs and to support our recovery from disasters," Phillips told House members.
5. Some Coast Guard missions may end up suspended
The U.S. Coast Guard is a branch of the military, but is housed inside DHS. Admiral Thomas Allan told the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that during a shutdown the Coast Guard would have to suspend all non-essential missions, and defer training and maintenance, along with commercial safety inspections and other services.
Coast Guard teams are deployed around the country and around the world and perform a wide range of missions that are considered essential, from search and rescue to interdicting drug vessels. Many of the 55,000 personnel would have to continue working, while risking not being paid during a shutdown. Though during the last shutdown, DHS used money from the Republican tax and spending bill to pay their salaries.
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