House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced Wednesday their plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) while excluding funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The proposal mirrors a Senate-passed bill and aims to reopen DHS, ensure federal workers are paid, and defer immigration enforcement funding to a reconciliation bill.
Shift in Strategy
The announcement marks a reversal from House Republicans' stance just days ago, when they rejected the Senate's bill for excluding ICE and CBP funding. Johnson had previously called the Senate bill a 'joke,' but now argues the Democratic opposition to a House short-term fix left them with no alternative. The reconciliation process, set to begin in the Senate, will address ICE and CBP funding by June 1, as pushed by former President Trump.
'In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited,' Johnson and Thune stated.
Internal GOP Skepticism
Several House Republicans remain skeptical of the reconciliation approach, citing its potential complexity and the need for healthcare reforms. Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) criticized leaving parts of DHS unfunded, calling it 'a bad idea.' The Senate is expected to take up the DHS bill Thursday morning, with House action to follow at an undetermined time.