--- title: Why Congress is Feuding With Obama Over the Homeland Security Budget description: The Department of Homeland Security would furlough tens of thousands of employees nationwide if Congress failed to replenish the agency's funds by Friday. canonical: https://time.com/3719250/homeland-security-budget-congress-obama/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-23T20:41:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T16:49:30.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Congress is Feuding With Obama Over the Homeland Security Budget og:description: They have just five days to end the fight. og:url: https://time.com/3719250/homeland-security-budget-congress-obama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2e374e86155db14/6987809c5f570f46b0b156aa/464268318.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4668 og:image:height: 2626 og:image:alt: Jeh Johnson Holds News Conference On DHS Appropriations Bill og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Congress is Feuding With Obama Over the Homeland Security Budget twitter:description: They have just five days to end the fight. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2e374e86155db14/6987809c5f570f46b0b156aa/464268318.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Congress Is Feuding With Obama Over the Homeland Security Budget > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:49 PM UTCPublished: Feb 23, 2015 8:41 PM UTC  U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson pauses during a news conference February 23, 2015 in Washington, DC. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson pauses during a news conference February 23, 2015 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:49 PM UTCPublished: Feb 23, 2015 8:41 PM UTC President Barack Obama warned a gathering of state governors on Monday that the Department of Homeland Security would furlough tens of thousands of employees nationwide if Congress failed to replenish the agency’s funds by Friday. “We can’t afford to play politics with our national security,” Obama said during a winter meeting of the National Governors Association. But the political fight over Homeland Security funding shows no signs of letting up due to the hot-button politics of immigration. That was made clear Monday evening when [a procedural vote](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/23/politics/dhs-shutdown-funding-vote/) that needs at least 60 senators to avoid the threat of a filibuster fell too short, with just 47 in support and 46 against. Here’s a refresher on how lawmakers got to this point: **Where’s the spending bill?** A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security passed the House last month, with one essential caveat: None of the money could be used to implement Obama’s executive order to defer deportations of some 5 million undocumented immigrants. Imposed by House Republicans, that restriction is a non-starter for Senate Democrats, who have blocked the bill. **What happens if the agency doesn’t receive funding by Friday?** Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson [said](http://time.com/3717785/jeh-johnson-homeland-security-funding/) the department would run out of funds by Friday, forcing it to furlough upwards of 30,000 DHS employees. Employees deemed essential to national security, who make up roughly 80 percent of the workforce, will continue to work without paychecks. **Are there any signs of compromise on the horizon?** Several prominent Republicans, including Sens. John McCain and Lindsay Graham, have broken rank in recent days, urging their counterparts to fund the agency without restraints and let the immigration fight play out in the courtroom. Last week, a Texas judge temporarily suspended Obama’s executive orders and ruled that states could challenge the administration’s immigration policy in court. McCain [hailed](http://time.com/3717785/jeh-johnson-homeland-security-funding/) the decision as an “exit sign” for lawmakers, though lawmakers have yet to steer toward this off ramp in significant number. They may choose to punt on the issue instead, releasing a temporary spurt of funding for Homeland Security while girding for another round of debate. ### U.S. Politics as Seen Through Mark Peterson's Satirical Eye  American flags surround a photo of Ronald Regan at the Young Americans for Liberty booth at CPAC on Mar. 8\. 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  A CPAC attendee shows her nails, a necklace and some love during CPAC in Mar. 8, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Secretary of State and Nobel Peace prize winner Dr. Henry Kissinger in his office at Kissinger Associates on Park Ave. With Fortune Editor Andy Serwer. Mark Peterson—Redux  Extreme close up of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Mark Peterson—Redux  Senator Hillary Clinton at the New York City Labor Day parade in 2006. Mark Peterson—Redux  From the series Politics in Black and White Mark Peterson—Redux  New York City Mayor Bill Deblasio talks to reporters on Veterans Day, 2013. 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