Republican Leaders Unveil Plan to End Homeland Security Shutdown

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House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have announced a plan to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, seeking to end a record-setting partial government shutdown. The proposal involves a two-track approach, with the first restoring funding for most of the department and the second attempting to fund ICE and Border Patrol through separate party-line legislation.

Why it matters

The ongoing Homeland Security shutdown has disrupted critical national security functions and left thousands of federal workers without paychecks. This bipartisan plan represents an effort to break the political gridlock and restore full operations at the department.

The details

Under the Republican leaders' proposal, the first track would return to the Senate's previous plan to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, excluding the budgets for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol. The second track would then involve separate party-line legislation to fund those two agencies.

• The plan was announced on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
• The Republican leaders said they will pursue this two-track approach 'in the coming days'.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Republican leaders will need to work with Democrats in Congress to pass legislation that can be signed into law by the president to end the Homeland Security shutdown.