Tipsheet

'Trouble in Paradise': GOP Plan to Reopen DHS Is Looking a Little Shaky

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  April 02, 2026 3:30 PM

I should’ve clarified something yesterday: there is a deal to end the Democrat-induced shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. That doesn’t mean it will be smooth. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson announced yesterday that the Senate’s initial bill, to fund the agency except for ICE and Border Patrol, will be passed first. ICE and CBP would be funded later through a new reconciliation package, which will include funding for three years, with none of the concessions Democrats want regarding de-masking of agents and judicial warrants. 

Democrats halted those talks when they reversed their stance on funding: they wanted a bill that funds DHS, excluding ICE and CBP. Then they backed out at the last minute as the deadline neared. The voice vote and the decision to avoid the Capitol before the Easter recess, which delayed House Republicans who weren’t even consulted about this move, still has House conservatives angry. 

Furthermore, this new effort seems to face the same number of obstacles, if not more. There aren’t seven Democrat votes needed to pass the House’s 60-day continuing resolution; we already knew that. Will they return during recess? There’s growing pressure for them to do so, and they should. This shutdown is absurd, worsened by the Republicans engaging in both an institutional rivalry and an intraparty feud, but at least we have a rough plan. Whether people will support it remains uncertain, but for now, this might be the only option.