House, Senate Divide Grows Amid Pressure to End DHS Shutdown

Congress is heading back to the drawing board to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, as the divide grows between House and Senate Republicans.

This as DHS warns that money for paychecks will dry up within days. And pressure mounts to end the shutdown following the shooting at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, with the shooter apparently targeting President Trump and other administration officials. 

In the latest twist: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says the House Republican conference will propose a new version of a bill that was twice passed by the Senate, funding most DHS agencies. He says the Senate version funding everything except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must change, saying he doesn’t want ICE and CBP to become “orphans.” 

“It has some problematic language because it was haphazardly drafted,” said Speaker Johnson. “We have a modified version that I think is going to be much better for both chambers.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he’ll make technical changes to the bill to get it over the finish line, but anything beyond that is a “real problem.” 

Senators also noted the importance of funding DHS as soon as possible, noting that Secret Service agents are among those who will be going without paychecks when the current funding runs dry. 

“For 72 days they have gone without their mission being funded. That’s a problem. That’s absolutely a problem,” said Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. 

If the House passes a new bill putting in language funding ICE and CBP, the Senate will then have to pass it a third time. That could be problematic, with Democrats demanding restrictions on federal immigration enforcement. 

Still, Democrats say Republicans have the power to end the shutdown. 

“I think the standoff is now between the two Republican leaders in the House and Senate,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL). 

The Senate meanwhile is continuing to work on a separate reconciliation bill funding ICE and CBP. It would allocate an additional $70 to $80 billion to those agencies through 2029. 

“Our work in terms of the funding process is well underway here, and hopefully that will be enough to get the House in a comfortable position,” said Senate Majority Leader Thune.