House Forces Short-Term DHS Funding Vote
The House pushed a short-term funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security late Friday night. The final tally was 213-203.
The bill would fully fund DHS for eight weeks. Three Democrats broke with their party and backed it. Every voting Republican supported the measure.
But don’t expect it to clear the Senate. Senators have already left Washington for a two-week Easter recess. That makes a deal unlikely before DHS money runs out.
The Hill reported:
House lawmakers on Friday passed a Republican bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its entirety for eight weeks, after GOP leaders rejected a Senate-passed bill that would exclude money for immigration enforcement.
The partisan package was a nod to conservative immigration hawks, who hailed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for pushing it through. But it has no chance of passing the Senate and ensures that the weeks-long DHS shutdown will become the longest in history.
The tally was 213-203, with three centrist Democrats joining every voting Republican in supporting the bill.
The late-night vote came after a tumultuous day on Capitol Hill, sparked by Johnson’s rejection of a bipartisan Senate deal to fund most of DHS while withholding money for immigration enforcement operations under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.
The House voted late Friday night after rejecting the Senate-passed bill earlier in the day.
House Freedom Caucus leaders and Speaker Johnson rejected the Senate’s bill because it didn’t fully fund ICE agents.
The Senate very early Friday morning, after a marathon session, unanimously approved a voice-vote package to fund the Department of Homeland Security, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and key parts of Customs and Border Protection.
Democrats flat-out refused to support full funding without gutting immigration raids and deportation operations.
Instead of fighting for the full funding, Thune and the Senate GOP folded in the dead of night, when no one was watching.
That quote lays out the split. The House wanted full funding for ICE and border operations. The Senate offered a deal that left out key enforcement pieces. House leaders rejected that compromise.
Expect finger-pointing. Conservatives will say they stood for border security and the men and women who enforce it. Opponents say the move was political theater that can’t pass the Senate.
The clock is the real story. With lawmakers gone and time short, the risk of a partial DHS shutdown rises. Essential services could face strain. Immigration enforcement is the headline, but many DHS functions could be affected if funding lapses.
Speaker Johnson and House conservatives pushed a clear line: fund the agency in full. That kept the message tight. It also set up a showdown with the Senate. For now, it’s a bold move that may not change the immediate outcome. But it will shape the blame game in the days ahead.