House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed package Friday that would fund a majority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and instead proposed a short-term measure that would fund the entire department for eight weeks.
“This gambit that was done last night is a joke. I’m quite convinced that it can’t be that every Senate Republican read the language of this bill,” Speaker Mike Johnson said to reporters on Friday. “We’re not doing that.”
Johnson said he intends to hold a vote on the stop-gap funding bill “as soon as possible.”
The rejection of the Senate deal by the lower chamber extends what has been the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history, which has left DHS unfunded for nearly six weeks, forcing Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees to work without pay and leading to hours-long security lines at airports around the country.
The Senate moved early Friday to fund most of DHS, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over Democrats’ demands for stricter requirements for agents given their role in carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Upon reaching the House, the legislation was met with pushback over its lack of funding for ICE and CBP.
The eight-week DHS stopgap measure, which would provide back-pay for government workers is unlikely, however, to pass in the Senate, as it would need Democratic support to reach the 60-vote threshold.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Friday that the measure would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
“We’ve been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical Homeland Security functions—but we will not give a blank check to Trump’s lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms,” Schumer posted on X.
Trump has yet to publicly state whether he supports the Senate deal, but Thursday, hours before the Senate passed its package, he said he would sign an executive order directing newly installed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to “immediately” pay TSA agents.
“It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” Trump said.
Many House Republicans criticized the Senate’s funding package.
Rep. Keith Self of Texas accused Senate Republicans of conceding too much to Democrats.
“In the dead of night, with only five senators present on the floor and no one there to object, the Senate rushed through a DHS funding bill that deliberately left ICE and CBP unfunded,” Self wrote on social media. “Now, they are leaving town. No SAVE America Act. ICE and CBP unfunded.”
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina called the move a capitulation. “The Senate unanimously decided to give in to Democrat demands to not fund ICE or CBP,” she said. “This surrender by Senate Republicans was passed in the middle of the night and then the entire Senate decided to go home for 2.5 weeks.”
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, who held a news conference to state they would not support the passing of the DHS funding bill, said he would oppose the bill unless it includes additional provisions, including the SAVE America Act.
“The only thing we’re going to support is adding that funding into the bill, adding voter ID, sending it back to the Senate, making them come back in and do their work,” he said. “The bottom line is, this is not this deal. It’s bad for America. It’s bad for Americans.”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, which would require Americans to provide proof of citizenship and photo identification to vote in federal elections, has become a central demand for House Republicans. Trump has previously said he would not sign new legislation until the measure is passed.
Other Republicans echoed that position. Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri said the bill “should not pass without basic measures,” including funding for Homeland Security Investigations and voter ID requirements.
Democrats, meanwhile, have rallied behind the Senate agreement, arguing it protects key agencies while blocking expanded immigration enforcement funding.
“This is a win,” Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon wrote. “Democrats have successfully stopped any new funding for ICE and CBP while funding the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA. We won’t let up now. We are fighting to end child detention, unmask ICE, and guarantee due process for all.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans to move the bill forward.
“The only thing standing between ending this chaos, or not, are House Republicans,” he said. “There’s a bipartisan bill that emerged from the Senate with uniform support.”
The post ‘A Joke’: House Republicans Reject Senate’s DHS Funding Deal appeared first on TIME.
