Congress Seeks Two-Track Plan to Fund DHS After Trump Support

Republican leaders say they will work to pass legislation funding immigration enforcement separately from the rest of the Department of Homeland Security.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 8:55pm

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Republican congressional leaders said they would work to pass a two-track plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security, with one bill funding immigration enforcement and another funding the rest of the department. This comes after President Donald Trump expressed support for the proposal, calling on Congress to put a bill on his desk by June 1 to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

Why it matters

The Department of Homeland Security has gone without funding since February 14, marking the longest partial government shutdown in history. Democrats have held up legislation funding the department as leverage to reform ICE and Border Patrol in response to actions amid a federal immigration enforcement surge in cities earlier this year.

The details

Senate Republican leader John Thune proposed passing the DHS funding bill without ICE and Border Patrol included, with reconciliation legislation to fund those agencies later. House Speaker Mike Johnson initially rejected the two-track plan, but after Trump's support, he and Thune issued a joint statement backing the idea.

  • The Department of Homeland Security has gone without funding since February 14, 2026.
  • President Trump called on Congress to put a bill on his desk by no later than June 1, 2026 to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

The players

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who expressed support for the two-track plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

John Thune

The Senate Republican leader who proposed passing the DHS funding bill without ICE and Border Patrol included, with reconciliation legislation to fund those agencies later.

Mike Johnson

The House Speaker who initially rejected the two-track plan but later issued a joint statement with Thune backing the idea after Trump's support.

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What they’re saying

“We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won't be able to stop us.”

— Donald Trump

“In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the President's directive by fulling funding the Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process.”

— Mike Johnson, House Speaker

What’s next

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The takeaway

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