Republican leaders in Congress agreed Wednesday to advance a DHS funding deal, bringing hope to end the partial government shutdown. The agreement would finance most of the Department of Homeland Security, except programs related to immigration enforcement. The partial shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, disrupted airport security. Long lines appeared at several airports as Transportation Security Administration employees quit or stayed home after going weeks without pay. Wait times eased this week after former President Donald Trump signed an order to provide TSA paychecks. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said they would move to pass a measure that the Senate approved unanimously last week. The bill would fund DHS operations while excluding funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection. Republican leaders abandoned a plan to fund the entire DHS for 60 days. That proposal faced opposition from Senate Democrats, who threatened to block it with a filibuster. Democrats have long resisted funding ICE without rules to guide agent conduct. They demanded reforms, including a ban on masks during arrests and judicial warrants before entering homes. To bypass these objections, Johnson and Thune backed a proposal from Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham. It would fund ICE using the budget reconciliation process, allowing passage with Republican votes alone. “We appreciate that Senator Graham and the Senate budget committee have already initiated the process of developing a budget resolution that will ensure border security and immigration enforcement will be funded for the balance of the Trump administration,” the Republican leaders said. The exact timing for passing the DHS funding bill is unclear. Congress is on recess through this week and next. Johnson and Thune said they hope to pass the measure “in the coming days,” possibly during brief ceremonial sessions scheduled for Thursday. For Democrats, the deal is a mixed outcome. They held up the DHS appropriations bill in January after ICE agents killed two U.S. citizens during a high-profile crackdown in Minneapolis. Their demands for reform caused the partial shutdown in mid-February. ICE and other agencies continued operations using funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, while the pending measure does not include the reforms Democrats wanted. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for prolonging the shutdown. He cited internal GOP divisions last week, when Johnson rejected the Senate’s unanimously passed bill under pressure from the House Freedom Caucus. Johnson tried to fund DHS for two months without Democratic support. “For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction,” Schumer said. He added that Senate Democrats “never wavered” and pushed to fund critical security while preventing a blank check for ICE enforcement. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated Democrats in the lower chamber are prepared to support the Senate-approved measure. He emphasized the need to pay TSA agents, reduce airport chaos, and fund DHS programs not tied to mass deportations. Meanwhile, Republicans face weeks of negotiations over the reconciliation bill. Graham signaled the measure could include funds for the U.S. conflict with Iran and elements of the Save America Act, which would introduce new voter ID requirements during registration and voting. The DHS funding deal marks a step toward reopening essential services, ending airport disruptions, and partially resolving the longest shutdown in U.S. history.