Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has reversed course to support a Senate plan that separates funding for immigration enforcement from a broader package to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, despite previously calling the proposal "a joke." The change came after President Trump endorsed the strategy.
The two-step approach would fund most of DHS quickly with Democratic support, while pushing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol to later in the year on a separate track that does not require Democratic votes.
What the Right Is Saying
Hard-line conservatives are vowing to oppose the legislation in its current form, arguing the two-step strategy would create a national security threat by denying adequate resources to the agencies responsible for border enforcement and deportations.
Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, wrote on X that "funding for ICE and CBP must never be separated from DHS funding" and warned that separating the funding "hands our border and ICE agents straight to the radicals who will defund and dismantle them every chance they get."
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a former Freedom Caucus chairman, called the Senate bill "a gift to Democrats" and stated he would vote no. "Caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again," he wrote on X.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats have long advocated for separating border enforcement funding from broader homeland security spending. The Senate plan aligns with this goal by detaching ICE and Border Patrol funding from the main DHS appropriation.
Democrats were already eager to support the Senate bill last week, and party leaders expect overwhelming Democratic support for the measure. The strategy allows Democrats to fund core DHS functions while keeping immigration enforcement funding tied to a separate legislative track that gives them more negotiating power.
What the Numbers Show
The House GOP holds a narrow majority ahead of November's midterm elections, making party unity critical for passing legislation. Johnson's reversal on the DHS funding plan has alienated hard-line conservatives who were already skeptical of his leadership.
The legislation faces two potential paths forward: a rule vote that would tee up debate and a final vote, or the suspension calendar which requires two-thirds support to bypass the rule. Democrats are expected to vote overwhelmingly for the bill, and Trump's endorsement predicts most Republicans will follow suit.
House GOP leadership declined to attempt passing the Senate bill during Thursday's pro forma session, with conservative outrage likely a contributing factor. House Republicans held a conference call at 11 a.m. EDT Thursday to discuss the matter.
The Bottom Line
Johnson's reversal on the DHS funding plan illustrates the challenges facing House Republican leadership in maintaining party unity with a narrow majority. While conservative opposition could complicate the legislative path, Democrats' expected support and Trump's endorsement may be enough to secure passage.
The speaker faces a delicate balance: satisfying hard-line conservatives who view the separation of immigration funding as a betrayal, while delivering on a Trump-endorsed strategy that has Democratic support. What happens next will test whether Johnson can unite his conference or faces a rebellion from the right flank.