WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Democrats filed a discharge petition on March 18, 2026, to force a floor vote on legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security through September 2026 while excluding funding for ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and the Office of the Secretary. Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, introduced the underlying bill.

The legislation would fund the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service through September 2026. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures to force a floor vote in the House.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter to his caucus unveiling the discharge petition strategy on March 16, 2026. "We've repeatedly won discharge petitions, and if it comes to it, we're going to win this one as well," Jeffries said. "Democrats are taking matters into our own hands," DeLauro said. "Please join us in this effort."

Federal workers at Department of Homeland Security agencies have missed paychecks since the shutdown began. Unscheduled absences among Transportation Security Administration airport security officers have more than doubled since the shutdown began.

The House passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September twice, but the Senate has failed to achieve the 60 votes needed to advance DHS funding. Senate legislation to fund Department of Homeland Security operations unrelated to immigration enforcement was blocked by Senate Republicans.

House Republicans have opposed separating immigration enforcement funding from the broader Department of Homeland Security funding legislation. House Republicans stated that passing Department of Homeland Security funding is necessary due to security concerns related to the war in Iran and severe weather events across the United States.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided billions of dollars in additional funding to immigration-related agencies, with funding expected to last through the remainder of President Trump's term. Since early February 2026, the White House and Senate Democrats have exchanged counterproposals on Department of Homeland Security funding legislation. Senate Democrats sent their latest Department of Homeland Security funding proposal to the White House on Monday, March 16, 2026.

On March 1, 2026, a gunman wearing a "Property of Allah" shirt killed three people and wounded 13 others outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, Texas. On March 7, 2026, two men tossed explosives into a crowd of protesters near Gracie Mansion in New York City. The men told the New York Police Department that they had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

On March 12, 2026, a gunman previously imprisoned for providing material support to ISIS entered a classroom at Old Dominion University and opened fire, killing an ROTC instructor before students stopped him. That same day, a man rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan during a preschool session, injuring one security guard. According to the Israeli government, the suspect's brother was a member of Hezbollah.