Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned on Tuesday that the agency will exhaust its emergency funds by the first week of May amid an ongoing shutdown. He urged Democrats to fund the department or explain their stance on border security. The Senate is set to vote this week on a funding blueprint for key immigration agencies.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated on Fox & Friends that emergency funds, approved by President Donald Trump via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, are nearly depleted more than two months into the agency's shutdown. The department spends over $1.6 billion every two weeks on its workforce, with roughly two-thirds of employees currently furloughed. Mullin said, “I’ve got one payroll left, and there is no emergency funds, so the president can’t do another executive order for us to use money because there’s no more money there.” He added that the funds will dry up by the end of April or first week of May if spending continues at the current rate. Mullin called on Democrats to either agree to funding or “explain to the American people why they want open borders and why they don’t want to deport these illegals that are truly running our cities and running our streets.” He warned that the lack of funding risks national security as adversaries exploit perceived weaknesses. The Senate expects to vote as early as this week on a budget blueprint for a reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), though no long-term agreement has been reached. Senate Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, push for a package extending funding into the next decade alongside defense spending, according to The Hill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune advocates a “skinny” bill more likely to pass both chambers, while Sen. Thom Tillis supports a “tight” version, saying, “Why are we trying to make this more difficult? In fact, if you’ve got a really great set of ideas, then convince Sen. Graham to create another reconciliation vehicle, and we can do it after we dispense with the matter at hand.”
