DHS Forced to Suspend 85% of Audits and Inspections in Partial Shutdown

The Department of Homeland Security’s watchdog has been forced to suspend approximately 85% of its audits, evaluations, and inspections due to a funding lapse that triggered a partial government shutdown after Congress failed to approve new appropriations for the department.

Senate Democrats recently blocked a House-passed DHS appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026 when their demands for changes to immigration enforcement procedures were not met. The vote, which stood at 52-47, fell short of the 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster.

The DHS Office of the Inspector General currently has eight active investigations into the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices. These reviews cover the use of facial recognition technology and allegations of excessive force by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Congressional Democrats initially requested that Joseph Cuffari, the DHS inspector general appointed during President Donald Trump’s first term, investigate the use of force by ICE officers in June. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey from Massachusetts recently wrote to Cuffari this month requesting he expedite the investigation following the January fatal shootings of anti-ICE protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The incidents occurred after confrontations with federal law enforcement.

DHS’s appropriations measure was included in a broader spending package approved by Congress in January to prevent a partial government shutdown. The House passed a full-year DHS funding bill on January 22.

Although the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts were funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the department risks losing funds for other agencies if the standoff continues. These include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Transportation Security Administration.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chair of the House Appropriations Committee, stated in a Friday news release: “A shutdown is not a strategy — even if Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats treat it like one. It is a setback for national security and for American families. TSA, Coast Guard, and Secret Service personnel will be forced to work without pay.”

The release further noted: “FEMA disaster response will slow. Cyber defenses and counterterrorism efforts will weaken. Law enforcement programs that protect children and trafficking victims will be impacted.”

Cole added: “The House acted in good faith and passed a bipartisan, full-year funding bill to prevent this very outcome. We did our job.”

Cole continued: “A DHS shutdown doesn’t advance oversight or policy — it only shifts the burden onto frontline personnel and the communities they serve. The damage is real, and the nation will feel it.”

Democrats have indicated they will not support DHS funding unless a list of 10 policy demands is met. These include requiring court-issued warrants for certain enforcement actions, clearer identification requirements for DHS officers, new use-of-force standards, and a ban on racial profiling. They argue these changes are necessary following the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti.

With Senate Republicans and the White House refusing to make concessions on key demands, DHS is likely to remain unfunded for at least 10 days.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has proposed another continuing resolution to extend DHS funding and allow negotiations with Democrats. However, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged the Senate to focus on the House-passed bill.

Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, stated in a recent release: “Right now, our country faces a pivotal time for our homeland security, and I worry another lapse in funding for the department will have even longer-lasting impacts than the last.”

Garbarino added: “TSA and the Secret Service are preparing for millions of visitors for the World Cup and America 250 celebrations, FEMA is preparing for hurricane season while helping the nation recover from a brutal winter storm, the U.S. Coast Guard is interdicting a record amount of drugs and combating the smuggling of sanctioned oil, and CISA is defending our networks from relentless adversaries while preparing for midterm elections this fall.”

He concluded: “It is unacceptable that many of these frontline personnel could lose their paychecks for the second time in six months because of Washington’s dysfunction. The resilience of our transportation systems, critical infrastructure, emergency response, and more should not be held hostage by partisan politics.”