House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are openly clashing over Homeland Security funding, complicating efforts to end the 72-day government shutdown [1].
Thune has expressed frustration among Senate Republicans about Johnson's failure to pass the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill that has cleared the Senate twice [1]. Johnson wants to modify the Senate-passed bill to secure enough House votes, as he says the current text lacks support until after the reconciliation process passes [1].
The main House dispute centers on language in the Senate bill that zeroes out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. A broad group of House Republicans want to remove this zero-funding language to avoid a vote that could look like defunding law enforcement [1].
Johnson described his proposed changes as "relatively minor stylistic edits" that "don't change most of the substance," arguing the bill was "haphazardly drafted" and his version would be better for both chambers [1]. Any modifications to the bill would require the Senate to take it up and pass it again [1].
Thune responded that Senate Republicans "did everything we can to ensure that everything is appropriately funded," and said, "We're working with the House to see if there's a way to do that" [1]. Both leaders are now publicly staking out positions, which may complicate a private agreement [1].
Earlier in April, Johnson and Thune had jointly planned to fund ICE and Border Patrol through reconciliation, with the rest of DHS funded by regular appropriations [1]. On April 27, Johnson proposed the current modifications to the Senate bill to gain House support [1].
There is consideration to wait for the reconciliation process to finish and then pair it with a DHS appropriations vote, potentially extending the shutdown into mid-May 2026 [1].