Republican Leaders Clash Over Homeland Security Funding Deal

Breakdown in negotiations leaves Congress with no clear path forward on partial government shutdown

Mar. 28, 2026 at 4:18pm

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A deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end a partial government shutdown unraveled dramatically on Friday, exposing a rare rift between Republican leaders in Congress. After weeks of negotiations, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had reached a compromise with Democrats, but House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., angrily rejected the plan, calling it a 'joke.' The collapse of the deal leaves Congress, now on a two-week spring break, with no easy way out of the impasse that has put DHS into a shutdown since mid-February.

Why it matters

The breakdown in negotiations and the public clash between the top Republican leaders in Congress underscores the deep divisions within the party as they try to advance President Donald Trump's priorities before the November elections. The failure to resolve the DHS funding issue also gives Democrats another opportunity to pin the partial government shutdown on House Republicans.

The details

Thune had negotiated a deal with Democratic senators that would have funded most of DHS without including money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol, while setting aside Democratic demands for new limits on the agencies. However, when House Republicans learned of the compromise, they swiftly rejected it, with Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., saying the Senate 'chickened out' because they 'wanted to go home for two weeks.' House GOP members argued the Senate's proposal amounted to 'unconditional surrender' and vowed not to 'bend themselves into submission.'

  • The partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has been ongoing since mid-February 2026.
  • Senators reached a deal to fund most of DHS on the morning of Friday, March 28, 2026, just before Congress went on a two-week spring break.

The players

John Thune

The Republican Senate Majority Leader who negotiated the compromise deal with Democrats to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security.

Mike Johnson

The Republican Speaker of the House who angrily rejected the Senate's deal, calling it a 'joke' and vowing to 'protect the House and the American people.'

Nick LaLota

A Republican Congressman from New York who criticized the Senate's 'cowardly' actions in negotiating the deal behind closed doors.

Chuck Schumer

The Democratic Senate Minority Leader who said his caucus was 'proud of holding the line' against Republican demands.

Susan Collins

The Republican Senator from Maine who leads the Senate Appropriations Committee and said Democrats were 'intransigent and unreasonable' in the negotiations.

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What they’re saying

“I have to protect the House, and I have to protect the American people.”

— Mike Johnson, House Speaker

“The Senate chickened out. The cowards there, only a few of them in the middle of the night with I think only three to five senators present on the floor, chickened out because they wanted to go home for two weeks. We need to raise the bar.”

— Nick LaLota, Republican Congressman

“They know this is a continuation of the shutdown because the Senate is gone. So they know fully well what they're doing.”

— Katherine Clark, Democratic Congresswoman

“I felt like from the beginning, they just didn't want to get to 'yes.'”

— John Thune, Senate Majority Leader

“This takes two chambers to get the job done. Apparently, there's not enough communication between those chambers.”

— Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican Congressman

What’s next

It is unclear what the Senate will do next, as negotiations ended acrimoniously on both sides. A quick resumption of talks is unlikely, leaving Congress with no easy path forward to resolve the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

The takeaway

The collapse of the DHS funding deal has exposed a rare public rift between the top Republican leaders in Congress, underscoring the deep divisions within the party as they try to advance President Trump's priorities before the November elections. The failure to reach an agreement also gives Democrats another opportunity to pin the partial government shutdown on House Republicans.