The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains in shutdown after lawmakers last week failed to reach an agreement to fund the agency.

Funding lapsed on Feb. 13 after a final monetary patch was rejected in the Senate.

It included none of the reform provisions requested by Senate Democrats, who uniformly rejected the legislation, with the exception of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.).

Since then, lawmakers have left Washington to return to their districts, with the Senate not set to return until Feb. 23—setting up a minimum 10-day shutdown.

However, with the current state of negotiations, that shutdown could go for much longer.

Here’s what to know.

State of Current Funding

Congress has funded 96 percent of the federal government.

On Feb. 3, President Donald Trump signed legislation that finalized full-year funding for most of the government, completing the administration’s work on 11 of 12 required annual spending bills.

Three of the appropriations bills were enacted in November, ending the 43-day government shutdown, which was the longest in U.S. history.

As part of signing the remaining appropriations bills, Trump signed a two-week extension of Department of Homeland Security funding.

That funding patch ran out on Feb. 13, leaving key agencies under DHS—including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), the Secret Service, and the Coast Guard—without funding.

Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), subsidiaries of DHS, were funded through 2029 in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted last year.

Reform Demands

Funding for DHS was split off from the larger package signed by Trump in line with demands from Senate Democrats, whose support is necessary to pass funding for the agency through the upper chamber.

Democrats withdrew their support for the package after a second American citizen, Alex Pretti, was killed on Jan. 24 in a shooting involving federal immigration agents. In an earlier incident on Jan. 7, Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said that three core reforms to ICE and CBP must be included in the legislation to win Democrats’ support.

First, Schumer said, Democrats are calling for “an end to roving patrols” of ICE agents in U.S. cities.

He called for a solution that would require warrants and coordination with local and state law enforcement.

“Second, we want to enforce accountability,” Schumer said. “Federal agents should be held to the same use-of-force policies that apply to state and local law enforcement, and be held accountable when they violate these rules.”

Finally, Schumer said Democrats are calling for reforms to require ICE and other immigration agents to wear body cameras, remove masks, and always carry proper state identification.

SAVE Act

Senate Democrats aren’t the only ones making demands, however.

In the lower chamber, conservative Republicans are leading calls for the Senate to approve the House-passed Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act—a bill requiring proof of citizenship to register for federal elections—as a condition of passing reforms.

Ahead of—and during—the vote to pass the most recent funding measure, there were signs that the issue was becoming a redline for several members of the House Republican conference.

Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) had indicated before the floor vote that they were considering how they would vote due to the issue.

Ultimately, the two were persuaded to support the measure to end the partial shutdown, but have continued to call for the SAVE Act’s passage alongside the final package.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC) in the House has called for the bill to go through.

“American elections should be fair and free, not subject to foreign influence. Illegal aliens have no right to be in America, and they certainly shouldn’t be voting,” said Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), who’s leading the RSC’s push to pass the bill.

“House Republicans are united behind the SAVE Act. I urge my Senate colleagues to pass this legislation.”

Trump has expressed support for the measure, calling for voter ID laws to be included in the package.

The president has also called for the federal government to “nationalize” or “take over” elections if states cannot run them “legally and honestly.”

Later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that those comments were an endorsement of passing the SAVE Act.

State of Negotiations

The two sides do not seem to be nearing a deal to overcome the impasse.

From the beginning, lawmakers indicated that negotiations were challenging.

Leaving a meeting with Democrats on the first full day of negotiations, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) indicated that even the outlines of a deal had not been worked out.

In the interim, the White House indicated, the two sides have remained separate on how to move forward.

“In terms of the written offer that was transmitted from the Democrats, the parties are still pretty far apart,” a White House official told The Epoch Times.

“The administration remains interested in good-faith conversations to end the Democrat shutdown before more Americans feel the impacts.

“But the administration also remains committed to carrying out the president’s promise to enforce federal immigration law.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing on Feb. 18 that Democrats sent “a counter proposal that, frankly, was very unserious, and we hope they get serious very soon, because Americans are going to be impacted by this.”

Agency Impacts

The shutdown is affecting nearly every agency within DHS, disrupting training, preparedness, and administrative operations even as frontline security functions continue.

The Coast Guard has suspended some training exercises, delayed maintenance for boats and aircraft, and halted payments to contractors, potentially affecting operational readiness over time.

At the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), fewer than 900 of roughly 2,300 employees remain on duty without pay.

While the agency continues responding to imminent cyber threats, it has paused nonessential functions such as issuing cybersecurity guidance and conducting training programs.

The TSA is also feeling strain.

About 95 percent of its workforce is working without pay, raising concerns about potential absenteeism and longer security lines at airports if screeners call out.

The Secret Service will continue protecting the president, vice president, and other designated officials.

However, with roughly 94 percent of its employees classified as mission-critical and working unpaid, the shutdown has paused hiring, training, technology upgrades, and reform initiatives—adding pressure to an already stretched workforce.

Meanwhile, FEMA remains focused on lifesaving emergency response. But longer-term preparedness efforts are at risk as some staff have been furloughed.

Not all DHS components are affected. ICE and CBP remain funded through 2029 after receiving $75 billion and roughly $65 billion, respectively, in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, insulating them from the current shutdown.

What’s Next?

With negotiations seemingly floundering, the next steps on funding the agency remain unclear.

When senators return to Washington on Monday, most of Capitol Hill’s attention will be set on the upcoming State of the Union address from Trump.

A deal to fund the agency before that event seems unlikely.

Democrats have indicated their intention to stand firm in their demands for reforms.

However, an extended shutdown of DHS, particularly through its impacts on travel and disaster recovery, could become politically costly for both sides, prompting an agreement.

In the interim, though, no path forward on the issue is readily apparent.