Republican Leaders Announce Plan to End Homeland Security Shutdown

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House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced a plan to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, moving past a split between the two Republican leaders that resulted in Congress leaving Washington last week without a fix to a record-setting partial government shutdown. The plan involves a two-track approach - first returning to a Senate plan to fund most of DHS, and then later trying to fund ICE and Border Patrol through separate party-line spending legislation.

Why it matters

The ongoing partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has disrupted critical national security functions, and the inability of Congress to resolve the impasse has raised concerns about political dysfunction. This proposal represents an effort by Republican leaders to break the stalemate, though its ultimate success remains uncertain.

The details

Under the Republican leaders' plan, the Senate would first approve the same bipartisan funding agreement it passed last Friday, which would fund most of DHS but exclude ICE and Border Patrol. Republicans would then later try to pass party-line legislation to fund those two agencies separately. However, this two-track approach still faces potential opposition from within the GOP's own ranks, and it's unclear how quickly any final legislation could move through Congress.

• The DHS shutdown reached its 47th day on Wednesday, April 2, 2026.
• The Senate could approve the bipartisan funding agreement as soon as Thursday morning, April 3, 2026.

What they’re saying

What’s next

It will likely take several months for Republicans to act on the second part of the plan and pass budgeting legislation to fund ICE and Border Patrol.