Senate Republicans are forging ahead with a two-step plan to end the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security shutdown, but their House counterparts tell Political Bytes they are not on board with the strategy. The split has created an intraparty rift as leadership races against a June 1 deadline set by President Donald Trump to fully fund immigration enforcement through a GOP-only bill.
The Senate approved a budget resolution early Thursday largely along party lines that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the rest of Trump's term. Republicans are using the partisan budget reconciliation process to bypass Democrats after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., refused to fund the department without sweeping reforms added to the proposal.
What the Right Is Saying
A swath of House Republicans have voiced growing frustration that the forthcoming GOP-only funding package does not include other policy priorities beyond funding immigration enforcement ahead of November's midterm elections.
"I think we've got one last opportunity for reconciliation," Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., told Political Bytes in an interview. "I know some people are talking about two, but I think we've got one guaranteed shot." Harrigan said he prefers a larger package that includes defense funding and affordability measures. "We've got a lot of important stuff to do and we need to get it done."
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., a member of the House Freedom Caucus, expressed similar reservations about the Senate approach. "I've got issues with it," he said. "We believe it should be more expansive." Higgins added that the premise of needing reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP is concerning. "That sort of thing has never been done up here, to take an appropriations bill and sort of cherry pick what you don't want in it and isolate whole agencies ... I'm against that whole premise."
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., was more definitive in his opposition Thursday. "The bill the Senate sent over is totally unacceptable to conservatives," Harris said. "We will never vote or support in any way a bill that puts in a zero for immigration enforcement," he added.
What the Left Is Saying
Democrats have consistently opposed the Republican-only approach to DHS funding, repeatedly filibustering departmental spending bills in the Senate. Their resistance has forced Republicans to pursue the budget reconciliation pathway, which requires only a simple majority and cannot be subject to a filibuster.
Senate Democrats have argued that any DHS funding package should include broader immigration reform measures rather than focusing solely on enforcement agencies. The party has called for comprehensive solutions that address both border security and pathways to legal status for undocumented immigrants already in the country.
Progressive groups have echoed these concerns, arguing that a reconciliation-only approach fails to address the root causes of migration and does not provide adequate funding for humanitarian processing at the border. They contend that ICE and CBP funding should be part of regular appropriations rather than emergency reconciliation measures.
What the Numbers Show
Senate Republicans approved the budget resolution early Thursday by a party-line vote. The measure would fund ICE and CBP for approximately three and a half years, through the remainder of Trump's current term.
Trump has set a June 1 deadline to fully fund immigration enforcement through a GOP-only bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is racing to pass the Senate's budget resolution as early as next week, at which point he can afford to lose only a handful of votes in the narrowly divided chamber.
Before the DHS shutdown, House Republican leadership teased a budget reconciliation sequel to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would incorporate a diverse set of priorities, including a defense supplemental package, spending cuts targeting fraud, and policies aimed at lowering the cost of living. The extent to which those provisions will be included in any final package remains uncertain.
The Senate's partial DHS bill has not yet been taken up by the House, leaving the two chambers out of sync on how to address the funding gap.
The Bottom Line
The internal Republican divide between the House and Senate over the scope of reconciliation legislation poses a significant challenge to meeting Trump's June 1 deadline. House conservatives are pushing for a broader package that addresses multiple GOP priorities, while Senate Republicans prefer keeping the measure narrow to avoid delays.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., acknowledged the tension during floor remarks Thursday. "You're not looking at Bambi's baby brother here," he said. "There won't be a third reconciliation bill. You know it ... and I know it. This is it. This is the last train leaving the station."
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has sought to expedite passage by involving only two panels — the Senate Judiciary and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees — in drafting the forthcoming budget bill.
House leadership will need to navigate conservative objections while maintaining enough Republican votes to pass any DHS funding package. The outcome will determine whether Republicans can deliver on Trump's immigration enforcement priorities before the midterm elections, and whether additional policy items beyond border security make it into a final reconciliation measure.