CHAD PERGRAM: Continued DHS shutdown prepares for future disasters

If you thought the Congressional appropriations process couldn’t get any worse, I present to 2026. And maybe beyond that.

The Department of Homeland Security is still closed, working on pocket lint, nickels lost between sofa cushions and faded S&H Green stamps (look up, kids). Congress did not fund DHS for two months. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., found himself in a political bind — opposing, then supporting, then neutral — the Senate-approved DHS majority funding package.

As we always say, it’s about the numbers, and when it comes to DHS funding, it seems like lawmakers have locked a box with no combination. Clearly no sequence of votes in the House and Senate could safely decentralize DHS as a traditional, independent appropriations bill.

PRESS RELEASE: WHY TRUMP CAN’T FORCE CONGRESS TO RETURN ON DHS SHUTDOWN

Now, Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump are turning to one of the few ways that could work to fund DHS — something called budget reconciliation.

Congress’s budget reconciliation process is not typically used for appropriations bills — although lawmakers can tie the measure to the money they will spend on government programs. However, reconciliation is subject to filibusters. So, Republicans don’t need 60 votes. They can – apparently – pass the DHS bill on their own without help from Democrats if they hold on to their small coalitions in both the House and the Senate.

Congressional Republicans intend to include this reconciliation package with only funding for ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. There is no disaster relief. There is nothing for farmers. Nothing about the SAVE America Act. The president agrees. The goal is to end this by June 1 – months after the latest DHS funding ends.

But it’s more complicated than that.

GOP INFIGHTING ATTACKS DEMS CONNECTION, PAVES WAY TO END HISTORIC DHS SHUTDOWN

The House and Senate must take several steps to approve the budget resolution shell so they have the filibuster evidence reconciliation tool available to them. Republicans made a similar effort last winter and spring. It was very painful and consumed months before the One, Big, Good, Reconciliation Bill was approved. Republicans don’t have that kind of time now. And again, DHS may not be funded or held together by temporary spending since last October.

We haven’t even mentioned how Trump is using dubious authority to pay TSA employees and others from other agencies — without Congressional approval.

Travelers experienced long wait times Sunday, March 22, 2026, at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (left, center) and Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (right) due to a partial government shutdown. (WVUE)

That leaves some wondering why the administration didn’t do this in the first place. But the bigger issue is the alarming pattern of Congress ceding its most precious right — the power of the purse — to the executive branch. That doesn’t matter whether Trump’s wage gap is constitutional. Also, it creates a layer that may be difficult to ignore during another financial crisis.

However, here is the biggest problem: the inability of Congress to pass budget bills in a timely manner. That has been a problem for years now.

Historically, Congress has passed the Oct. 1 budget deadline. 1, relies on “Continuing Resolutions” (CR’s) that simply renew all temporary funding. Or, lawmakers include a set of 12 annual spending bills in a “small bus” budget package. Lawmakers who might oppose each bill are willing to support a group of bills – because there is something they like or support.

But turning to reconciliation as a way out of the budget box is yet another example that could upset Congressional allies. Of course. They have done that before. And in this instance, it may eventually receive DHS funding. But what does this mean for the future?

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., said Congressional Democrats have found “zero” changes to the DHS funding agreement. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Which brings us to Oct. 1, 2026. This is when the federal government rotates from Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027.

Congress has struggled to fund the federal government since early 2025, when it began working on this year’s budget bills. The fiscal crisis of FY ’26 — which caused a record-breaking, 43-day, nationwide government shutdown in the fall, another partial government shutdown last winter and the current state of DHS — has been a problem since lawmakers were working on bills for this cycle this past Spring. So how do you pray that Congress will avoid a LE shutdown in the Fall of FY ’27?

In fact, few are talking about that potential risk – because no one can wrap their heads around the current saga of equities. And it’s possible that this fall’s problems could be worse than last fall’s problems. The reason? The mid-term elections are in November. It is doubtful that either side will agree to a deal before voters go to the polls.

These situations are scary to understand, so people just ignore them.

SEE: LAW OFFICERS CAUGHT DURING RECORDS CLOSURE WHILE DHS WORKERS NOT PAID

We’ve entered a new era of chronic fiscal discord — fueled by mistrust between the parties, slim Congressional margins in both the House and Senate, uneven congressional numbers and Trump’s unwillingness to make deals or even negotiate with Democrats.

Yes. They have options to cover DHS next year, but 11 other spending bills that could be a problem.

Imagine trying to pass a defense spending bill with a price tag 44% higher than last year? Or take a bunch of money for the Iran war?

Where is the combined vote to approve the CR, let alone the individual bills? Will Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., be willing to help Republicans reach the 60-vote threshold for funding? Especially if he sees the possibility of him re-emerging as Majority Leader? Probably not.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats are not backing down on their list of demands for DHS as the partial government shutdown continues. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And suppose the Democrats win the House, the Senate or both in the fall? Do you really think these spending problems are getting better in the last two years of Trump’s term?

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Back to Chevy Chase and Clark Griswold. There’s a second part to that iconic quote from Christmas Vacation: “We’re on the edge of hell!” he announces.

It’s really funny, but not when you’re trying to keep the government open after the events of last year. This is not the case for the millions of government employees who suffer from pay PTSD. Another round of spending can only destroy the trust between the employees of the organization and their employers. It will damage morale – which is already underground. That doesn’t mean anything about dating people to work for the government.

Yes. Things could be worse. Political divisions are deep and voting matrices to pass bills do not exist.

It may be spring, but the movie Christmas Vacation offers insight into where we stand with Congressional appropriations bills: “It’s Christmas and we’re all in trouble,” says Ellen Griswold, played by Beverly D’Angelo.

Yes. And wait to see what Congress has in store for us THIS Christmas.