WireMarch 24, 2026 at 6:01 PM
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Senate Republicans have unveiled a funding framework aimed at ending the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, though the plan excludes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from immediate funding. The framework, developed over the weekend and finalized this week, follows bipartisan discussions and a White House meeting where President Donald Trump insisted on combining DHS funding with his Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
The proposed framework would reopen most of DHS, allocating roughly $5.5 billion less than requested, specifically withholding funds from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). This move partially aligns with Senate Democrats' earlier attempts to defund ICE while addressing Republican demands to reopen the department fully. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., emphasized that reforms for ICE, such as body-worn cameras, rely on funding, which is now absent from the proposal.
'If you’re not going to have funding, I don’t know how all of a sudden you can demand reforms,' Thune said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for rapid action to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, citing escalating chaos at airports. Republicans have sent the legislative text to Democrats for review, urging bipartisan cooperation to advance the framework. Senator John Hoeven, R-N.D., stated that Republicans have 'bent over backwards' in negotiations and called on Democrats to stop 'moving the goalposts.'
The White House has signaled support for the framework, with an official stating that the deal 'seems to be acceptable.' However, not all Republicans are on board. Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., criticized the plan, arguing that funding immigration enforcement through budget reconciliation is unrealistic without tax cuts as leverage.
As negotiations continue, the pressure mounts to resolve the shutdown, which has tied for the second-longest in history, while addressing terrorism concerns and airport security challenges.