Republican leaders are uniting behind President Trump’s fresh strategy to resolve the prolonged 47-day defunding of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This new approach could mean that DHS remains unfunded for the duration of Trump’s presidency.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced on Wednesday that funding will occur along “two parallel lines.” This entails that part of the funding will be channeled through a bipartisan reconciliation bill that aims to support the president’s immigration and border security initiatives, while the rest will be handled through the standard appropriations process.
In their joint statement, Johnson and Thune expressed confidence that with the ongoing international armed conflict, Democrats might reconsider their stance on defunding homeland security agencies. They labeled such actions as reckless and dangerous, asserting, “We cannot allow Democrats to further jeopardize the safety of Americans through open borders policies, so we are taking this issue off the table.”
Additionally, Republican leaders mentioned that the forthcoming budget reconciliation package is set to provide funding for three years’ worth of immigration and border security efforts. This move could hinder Democrats from leveraging the spending process to influence immigration policies for the remainder of Trump’s term.
The push for budget reconciliation comes amid stalled efforts to secure funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) due to significant Democratic opposition in the Senate.
With the Senate’s 60-vote hurdle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer holds considerable sway over DHS spending if he maintains party discipline. To break the deadlock, President Trump has urged Republicans to formulate a reconciliation budget aimed at immigration enforcement and border security, which could pass without Democratic backing.
Trump stated, “We’re going to work as quickly and intensively as possible to refund Border Patrol and ICE agents, and the radical left Democrats won’t be able to stop us,” emphasizing a goal to have this legislation ready by June 1.
This budget reconciliation method allows Republicans to bypass any Democratic resistance, thereby passing DHS funding with just a simple majority. Back in June 2025, Republicans successfully pushed through Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act using this strategy after lengthy internal debates.
While ICE and Border Patrol previously received substantial funding through Trump’s prior legislation, some support staff from these agencies have gone unpaid throughout the ongoing shutdown. The impact extends to agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard and TSA, though Trump took measures to ensure TSA employees received back pay during the budget lapse.
Senator John Hoeven remarked on Monday that he believes Trump would align with the Senate’s preferred strategy. He insisted that the proposed DHS budget reconciliation bill, if enacted, would eliminate the chances for another shutdown.
With Congress set to take a two-week break, Trump indicated to the New York Post that he might call lawmakers back to address the DHS shutdown.
House Minority Leader Tom Emmer mentioned that if an agreement isn’t reached, a minor reconciliation bill for DHS funding could pass when Congress returns in mid-April.
Historically, House Republicans have voiced doubts about relying on a budget reconciliation package for immigration enforcement funding, and some conservatives are uneasy about allowing Democrats to dictate funding through the regular appropriations process.
Speaker Johnson expressed his concerns on Fox News, explaining that the current Democratic approach is forcing Republicans to shoulder the funding responsibility for border security and ICE, which he views as a tricky gamble. “It’s a very difficult task. It’s a risky gamble for us to think we can do it,” he admitted.
