The end of the funding crisis is in sight. But House Republicans woke up Friday morning furious at the senators who passed the deal without funding ICE and Border Patrol.
TSA line at Atlanta airport during DHS closure
USA TODAY’s Eve Chen takes you inside the world’s busiest airport during the DHS shutdown.
WASHINGTON – House Republicans opposed a deal ending the six-week Department of Homeland Security shutdown at the 11th hour, putting the prospect of an imminent solution in deep political jeopardy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday, March 27, denounced the compromise bill that the Senate passed unanimously in the middle of the night after a lengthy phone call with Republican lawmakers. With House and Senate Republicans deeply divided, Johnson said lawmakers don’t like the deal to fully fund DHS, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
“This ploy that took place last night was a joke,” Johnson said. He also said he had just spoken with President Donald Trump, who “understands exactly what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and he supports it.”
Many conservative hardliners woke up this morning outraged by the situation and vowed to withhold support for moving forward with the deal unless immigration enforcement funding and voter ID provisions were added. Two agencies within DHS, ICE and Customs and Border Protection, are already operating on cash reserves from the mega-bill passed last year.
“I can’t believe the Senate abdicated its responsibility this morning,” said Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.). “This deal is bad for America and it’s bad for the American people. The president has already said he will fund the TSA out of the money he has, so not doing this today will not affect our airports.”
Johnson then said he would instead vote on a two-month stopgap measure that would keep DHS funding at current levels until May 22.
A last-minute impasse has jeopardized the possibility of an early end to the DHS shutdown, which has disrupted security at airports across the country. If the House passes a stopgap bill, also known as a “continuing resolution” (CR), senators must return to the Capitol to approve it. But many have already left Washington for a planned two-week spring break.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said there is no chance the Senate will consider any legislation other than what Democrats have already agreed to.
“The 60-day CR that locks in the status quo is dysfunctional on arrival in the Senate,” he said in a statement. “And Republicans know that.”
Contributor: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
