Concerns Mount as Homeland Security Shutdown Looks Likely

WASHINGTON — The notion that Congress might actually shut down the Department of Homeland Security as part of a broader fight over President Obama’s immigration policies seemed laughable just a few weeks ago.

Literally.

A top Republican staff member laughed when asked if Republicans, who are usually security-minded, were prepared to shut down the agency in a political battle over Mr. Obama’s recent executive actions.

But now, with just days remaining until funding for the Homeland Security agency runs out on Friday, a shutdown of the department is looking increasingly likely.

The House speaker, John A. Boehner, has signaled that he is prepared to let financing for the agency lapse if the Senate remains unable to pass the spending bill that the House sent over last month. That bill, in addition to funding the agency, would gut the president’s legal protections for as many as five million undocumented immigrants, including children.

“We recognize we have a critical mission, and in order to accomplish those things and make the necessary improvements, it is going to require funding,” said Ed Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service.

And, of course, the political brinkmanship has proved bad for morale at the agency. A department official who recently spoke to a group of 400 employees said the first two questions he received were “Is there going to be a shutdown?” and “Will we get paid?”

“You’re asking working men and women of this department to work without a paycheck,” Mr. Johnson said, “which is horribly unfair.”

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The New York Times