Washington, DC - National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Patrick Yoes levelled strong criticism at Congress for its ongoing failure to provide funding to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and, specifically, to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“The United States Congress has repeatedly failed to pass legislation to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at a time when our country is on a war footing and when threats to our nation are escalating,” Yoes said. “The funding stalemate has dragged on for nearly 70 days now. Protecting our nation’s homeland doesn’t stop, and neither should DHS’ officers’ paychecks. This Congressional inaction is shameful.”

To end the gridlock, Congressional leaders will use budget reconciliation, a process that began with the Senate’s passage of a budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 33. This is the first step in the reconciliation process that will allow Congress to fund DHS and our immigration enforcement agencies. The House must now pass that same budget resolution—which they can do as early as this week.

“The appropriations process has been wrecked by partisan policy fights—and these must stop,” Yoes said. “We support Speaker Johnson’s efforts to pass the budget resolution as passed by the Senate and keep Congress on track to complete the reconciliation bill and get it to President Trump for his signature by 1 June. Any changes to the bill as written would require it to be returned to the Senate, creating an unacceptable delay and which would put the entire process at risk.”

The budget resolution instructs the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and the Senate Committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to devise a spending plan to fund CBP and ICE through Fiscal Year 2029. The resolution provides maximum flexibility on the spending amount, but DHS and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimate approximately $70 billion will be needed.

“Congressional gridlock is nothing new, but this latest paralysis is dangerous to our country and especially to our men and women in the field,” Yoes said. “Our men and women in law enforcement on the border and in the interior who are charged with enforcing our immigration laws are already in harm’s way. This is a dereliction of duty on the part of Congress, and we urge the House to act swiftly this week to bring this gridlock to an end.”