House Republicans to Consider New DHS Funding Legislation Amid Shutdown
In Washington, House Republicans are set to weigh new funding legislation for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the partial government shutdown now stretching into its 73rd day, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Earlier this month, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, had reluctantly agreed to a two-step plan from the Senate aimed at fully funding DHS, which has faced partial shutdowns since February 14—the longest government shutdown on record.
However, despite initial indications that both chambers were aligning on the issue, the House has since resisted advancing the Senate’s proposal, primarily because House Republicans were dissatisfied with the agreement.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pointed to what he describes as “problematic wording” in the deal. “This was pretty haphazardly drafted,” he remarked to reporters. “We believe a revised version would be beneficial for both chambers. Although much of it will remain, it should no longer isolate two crucial agencies within DHS.”
He emphasized the need to uphold immigration enforcement and border security, expressing frustration that Democrats are not willing to engage in that process, thus leaving Republicans to take charge.
There’s certainly a sense of urgency, especially following a recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, pushing Capitol Hill to act swiftly regarding DHS funding, which oversees the Secret Service.
Unfortunately for the House Republicans, the Senate managed to pass a bill that funds nearly all of DHS, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Democrats resisted funding those agencies without reforms that Republicans deemed unacceptable, including restrictions on mask-wearing and stricter judicial warrant requirements.
In an effort to overcome the 60-vote filibuster, Republicans contemplated using the complicated Senate reconciliation process to fund ICE and CBP while relying on President Trump to exercise executive authority for reallocating the necessary funds among the agencies.
While initially navigating concerns about the Senate agreement’s language, Johnson argued publicly that the real hesitation for the House was the necessity for proof that Congress could actually pass a reconciliation bill.
Concerns were echoed by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain from Michigan, who expressed unease about the implications of the Senate agreement’s language concerning U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
On the heels of a mass shooting on Saturday, the urgency for funding DHS has intensified again.
Last month, President Trump took executive measures to divert funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for temporarily supporting Transportation Security Administration employees and other staff within DHS. However, these emergency funds are expected to deplete by May.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently mentioned, “My paycheck through DHS comes to a little over $1.6 billion every two weeks. Once that’s gone, there’s no emergency funding left.” In his remarks to “Fox & Friends,” he noted, “One more paycheck remains, but after that, the emergency fund is exhausted.”
Last week, the Senate passed a $70 billion budget resolution to kickstart the reconciliation process. The House is expected to review this bill in the coming days as Republicans rush to meet President Trump’s June 1 deadline.
Meanwhile, the House is supposedly scheduled to break until May 12, following what has been termed “hell week,” where they handled challenging votes related to the Farm Bill and the extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
