UPDATE - US Senate fails to advance act on funding Homeland Security Department amid ongoing partial shutdown

ADDS TRUMP'S REMARKS

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Senate failed to advance legislation Tuesday to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a partial government shutdown stretched into its 11th day.

Lawmakers took a procedural vote aimed at moving the H.R.7147 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act forward, but the effort stalled amid continued partisan divisions over immigration enforcement and agency oversight.

The upper chamber voted 50-45.

The US federal government entered a limited shutdown at 12.01 a.m. on Feb. 14 after Congress failed to pass a funding bill before a midnight Friday deadline, with Democrats blocking the measure, demanding reforms to the DHS, especially US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Following the killing of two Americans by ICE agents in the state of Minnesota in January, Democrats have insisted on stronger oversight and tighter limits on immigration enforcement -- including banning the use of masks by ICE officers, requiring body cameras to remain on, and mandating visible identification -- as a condition for supporting the funding bill.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Democrats of forcing a government shutdown and cutting off funding for the DHS during his 2026 State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress.

"As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security...They have instituted another Democrat shutdown," Trump said.

The president claimed the funding lapse had weakened border security and hindered federal operations, arguing that Democrats had “closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers.”

"Tonight, I'm demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, homeland security of the United States," he added.

If the partial shutdown drags on, tens of thousands of federal workers could be required to continue to work without pay, while some agencies might be compelled to scale back staffing levels until funding is restored.