Republican Leaders Split Over Homeland Security Funding Deal

House Speaker Mike Johnson rejects Senate's bipartisan agreement, exposing rift between GOP leaders in Congress.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 6:48pm

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A deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end a partial government shutdown unraveled spectacularly on Friday, as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., angrily denounced the Senate's bipartisan agreement as a 'joke.' The collapse of the deal has left Congress with no easy way out of the impasse and exposed a rare rupture between the two Republican leaders in Congress, testing their alliances as they labor to move President Donald Trump's priorities into law before the November elections.

Why it matters

The bitter split between Republican leaders in the House and Senate threatens to make it more difficult for the GOP to advance its priorities while it still has guaranteed control of both chambers. The flop of the funding deal has also given Democrats another chance to pin the partial shutdown on House Republicans, potentially complicating the party's agenda ahead of the midterm elections.

The details

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had negotiated a deal with Democratic senators after weeks of effort, agreeing to not include funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol, while setting aside all the Democratic demands for new limits on the agencies. However, when House Republicans woke up to the news, their outrage was swift, with Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., saying the Senate 'chickened out' because they 'wanted to go home for two weeks.' House Speaker Mike Johnson then marched out of his office and angrily rebuked the Senate's plan as a 'joke,' saying he had to 'protect the House, and I have to protect the American people.'

  • On Friday morning, the Senate appeared to have reached a deal to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security and effectively end a partial government shutdown.
  • On Friday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson denounced the Senate's deal, leading to the collapse of the agreement.

The players

John Thune

The Senate Majority Leader, R-S.D., who had negotiated the bipartisan deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Mike Johnson

The House Speaker, R-La., who angrily rejected the Senate's deal, leading to its collapse.

Nick LaLota

A Republican Congressman from New York who said the Senate 'chickened out' on the deal because they 'wanted to go home for two weeks.'

Chuck Schumer

The Senate Democratic leader from New York, who said he was proud of his caucus for 'holding the line' against the deal.

Susan Collins

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

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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 from New York

“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 from Massachusetts

“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, Moderate Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania

What’s next

It is not clear what the Senate will do next, as negotiations ended acrimoniously on both sides, with each blaming the other for moving the goalposts. A quick resumption of talks is unlikely, leaving Congress with no easy way out of the impasse as it heads into a two-week spring break.

The takeaway

The collapse of the bipartisan deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security has exposed a rare rift between Republican leaders in Congress, threatening to make it more difficult for the GOP to advance its priorities ahead of the midterm elections. The bitter split has also given Democrats another opportunity to criticize House Republicans for the partial government shutdown, potentially complicating the party's legislative agenda.