Senate Clears Path for House to End DHS Shutdown

Funding bill approved by Senate last week heads to House for final passage.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 12:04pm

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The U.S. Senate has cleared the way for the House of Representatives to pass a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would end a nearly seven-week partial government shutdown. The measure, which provides funding through September 30, was approved by the Senate late last week and now heads to the House for final passage.

Why it matters

The DHS shutdown has disrupted key government functions related to national security and immigration enforcement. Ending the impasse will restore full operations at the department and avoid further political fallout from the funding lapse.

The details

Senate Majority Leader John Thune cleared the way for progress by killing a 60-day stopgap bill that had been passed by the House but had no chance of passing the Senate. The Senate-approved bill provides no additional funding for immigration enforcement activities, which are already robustly funded. It remains unclear whether House Republican rank-and-file will support the agreement reached by GOP leaders in both chambers.

  • The Senate approved the funding bill late last week.
  • The House is scheduled to take up the legislation at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday (1330 GMT).

The players

John Thune

Senate Majority Leader who cleared the way for the House to pass the DHS funding bill.

Donald Trump

The President who is expected to sign the DHS funding bill into law once passed by Congress.

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What they’re saying

“The U.S. Senate cleared the way early on Thursday for the House of Representatives to pass a Department of Homeland Security funding bill through September 30 that was approved by the Senate late last week and would end a nearly seven-week partial shutdown.”

— Reuters

What’s next

House passage of the Senate bill would send it to President Donald Trump for signing into law.

The takeaway

Ending the DHS shutdown will restore full operations at the department and avoid further political fallout from the funding lapse, though it remains unclear if House Republicans will fully support the agreement reached by party leaders.