House Speaker Mike Johnson pivoted on Monday, announcing that House Republicans will introduce a brand-new funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security as the nation hits day 73 of the longest government shutdown in history.
The move effectively kills a previously discussed “two-track” compromise with the Senate, leaving the department’s long-term stability in limbo.
The partial shutdown, which began on Feb. 14, has left DHS agencies operating on fumes. While Johnson initially appeared to align with the Senate’s plan to fund the department in two separate pieces, he told reporters yesterday that the Senate’s version was “haphazardly drafted” and contained “problematic language.”
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According to Johnson, the new House bill is a modified version intended to protect the department from being split apart. “It makes sure that we’re not going to orphan two of the primary agencies of DHS,” Johnson said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Speaker’s pivot stems from a deep partisan divide over those two specific agencies. The Senate’s original plan sought to fund the rest of DHS while leaving ICE and CBP for a separate “reconciliation” process. This was a workaround because Democrats refused to fund the border agencies without major reforms, including rules that would prevent agents from wearing masks and require tighter judicial warrants.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain highlighted the GOP’s frustration with the Senate’s text, noting that one provision explicitly stated the Customs and Border Protection Act “shall have no force or effect” for the purposes of that bill. “So that’s a big concern,” McClain said.
The clock is ticking louder than ever. While some DHS workers, including TSA screeners, have been kept on the job through executive actions that shifted money from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” those funds are nearly exhausted.
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DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued a blunt warning last week on “Fox & Friends,” stating that the department’s payroll is roughly $1.6 billion every two weeks. “I’ve got one payroll left and there is no more emergency funds,” Mullin said. “The president can’t do another executive order because there’s no more money there.”
The urgency to resolve the standoff has intensified following the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which put a spotlight on the funding of the Secret Service.
While the Senate passed a $70 billion budget resolution last week to begin the reconciliation process, the House must now navigate its own packed schedule. Lawmakers are facing a “hell week” involving votes on the farm bill and FISA extensions before a scheduled recess that lasts until May 12.
With a hard deadline of June 1 set by GOP leadership to complete the funding process, the House and Senate remain at odds over how to keep the lights on at the nation’s domestic security agency.
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