By Nate Wolf

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown Saturday after the Senate failed Thursday to push through a measure to continue funding the agency.

The Senate voted 52-to-47 against advancing the appropriations bill, which didn't include changes to immigration enforcement that Democratic lawmakers had sought. The vote meant a mini-shutdown was essentially certain, with DHS funding lapsing early Saturday during Presidents Day weekend.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought in a memo Friday said DHS "should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown." He said the Trump administration "will continue to seek good-faith, bipartisan solutions to complete the appropriations process."

Some parts of the sprawling agency will feel the brunt of the impact, though operations like flight safety and immigration enforcement look set to continue with some potential modifications.

Transportation Security Administration

Flight travel will continue as usual, with some hitches expected. Around 95% of U.S. Transportation Security Administration employees are essential workers and will continue working without pay. Travelers may see some issues at the airport, however, acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill testified in a congressional hearing Wednesday.

"Higher call outs can result in longer wait times at checkpoints, leading to missed or delayed flights, which has a cascading negative impact on the American economy," Nguyen McNeill argued.

Border Patrol and ICE

Many U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees, including 22,000 officers and agents, are deemed essential. The same goes for U.S. Customs and Border Protection's 60,000 employees.

ICE individually received $75 billion in funding over the next four years in President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-and-spending bill last summer, raising expectations that immigration enforcement will continue.

The DHS said in a statement to media that, "DHS essential missions and functions will continue as they do during every shutdown." No ICE officials testified at Wednesday's congressional appropriations hearings.

Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard -- the only military branch housed under the DHS -- will "suspend all missions except those for national security or the protection of life and property," said Vice Admiral Thomas Allan in his Wednesday testimony.

Around 56,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel will go without pay if the shutdown lasts more than a few days. Allan said the lapse would erode mission readiness and cripple morale.

Write to Nate Wolf at nate.wolf@barrons.com

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February 14, 2026 11:50 ET (16:50 GMT)

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