GOP Divisions Throw DHS Resolution in Doubt as Shutdown Nears Two Months

Congress returns to session with a lengthy to-do list, including trying to end the record-long shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has stretched to 59 days. 

The Senate twice passed a funding bill for DHS that excluded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). House Republicans rejected the bill once; the second is pending. Senate Republicans later pledged to pursue a second reconciliation package to fund ICE and CBP by June 1 to win support. 

Now, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are meeting to align strategy as divisions widen within the GOP over the path forward.

In the House, Speaker Johnson is struggling to unify Republicans, with members of the conservative Freedom Caucus pushing for immediate full funding of ICE and CBP rather than a phased approach. 

“We should move other priorities with ALL of DHS… we’re running out of time to deliver and to clean up these repeated swamp messes,” wrote Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). 

In the Senate, Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is expected to release a reconciliation blueprint this week. Leadership is considering a narrow “anorexic” bill focused solely on funding ICE and CBP, designed to bypass Democratic opposition and internal GOP disagreements. However, some Republicans are pushing competing priorities: Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) is calling for spending offsets while Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) is seeking to attach voting ID provisions.

Democrats meanwhile criticized the approach, saying Republicans “have chosen to hold the country hostage” by not passing the DHS funding bill sitting in the House. 

“There is a bipartisan bill that has been sent over from the Senate, not once, but twice. Every single Democrat, every single Republican in the Senate supports that legislation,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Defense Appropriations Markup Delay

Meanwhile, fiscal pressures are building elsewhere after the release of the Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget.

The House Appropriations Committee delayed the markup of the defense bill after the White House requested $1.5 trillion in defense spending, an increase of $445 billion, or 42 percent. 

The markup was supposed to happen May 15 but was pushed to June 11. 

The delay reflects an understanding that more time will be needed to assess Pentagon funding requirements and how to finance them, given the ongoing conflict with Iran.