Rules Committee Hearing Senate amendment to H.R 7147

This House Rules Committee hearing on March 27, 2026, focused on the Senate amendment to H.R. 7147, a continuing resolution to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The discussion centered on the ongoing partial DHS shutdown due to Senate Democrats' refusal to pass a full-year funding bill, despite bipartisan agreements reached earlier. House Republicans criticized the Senate amendment for defunding U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing it would halt critical border security operations. Democrats countered that the Senate bill, passed unanimously by voice vote, would fund TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA, ending the shutdown and paying federal workers, and accused House Republican leadership of prolonging the shutdown for political leverage. The committee debated the merits of the Senate bill versus the House Republican proposal for a short-term continuing resolution, with motions to bring the Senate bill to a vote ultimately failing. The hearing highlighted deep partisan divisions over DHS funding, border security, and federal worker pay, with no immediate resolution reached.