US Senate fails for seventh time to advance bill to partly fund DHS

The Senate voted down a bill to partially fund the Department of Homeland Security for the seventh time, as the agency remains shuttered after nearly six weeks. Trump said he would sign an executive order directing DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents during the shutdown, potentially reducing congressional pressure to pass funding legislation before the Senate's scheduled two-week recess. The repeated legislative failures underscore deep divisions within Congress over how to fund the agency, while Trump's executive action on TSA pay may give lawmakers political cover to delay negotiations. The DHS shutdown has created operational challenges across border security and other homeland functions, leaving thousands of federal employees without pay. Congress now heads into recess without resolving the impasse.