GOP Unveils Two-Track DHS Plan as Shutdown Drags On and Pay Pressure Builds
Republican leaders in Congress and President Trump are backing an agreement to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a two-track approach. However, with Congress in recess and opposition from hardline House Republicans, the record-long shutdown may still take days to resolve.
The strategy includes passing a bill to fund all of DHS minus Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), while Senate Republicans would separately use the reconciliation process to secure three years of funding for those immigration enforcement agencies.
“In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) in a joint statement.
Senate Sends Bill Back to the House
The Senate again passed the DHS funding bill minus ICE and CBP by unanimous consent in a pro forma session, sending it to the House for consideration.
The Senate passed the same bill last week, but the House rejected it in favor of a two-month stopgap measure.
Speaker Johnson has not said whether he will call the House back early from recess to vote on the legislation. Even if a vote is scheduled, several conservative Republicans have already signaled opposition, particularly as the Speaker previously rejected such a bill.
“Funding for ICE and CBP must never be separated from DHS funding,” stated Rep. Keith Self (R-TX).
Democrats also criticized the situation, blaming Republican divisions for prolonging the shutdown.
“We were clear from the start: fund critical security, protect Americans, and no blank check for reckless ICE and Border Patrol enforcement,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “We were united, held the line, and refused to let Republican chaos win.”
President Trump endorsed the compromise and set a deadline of June 1 for Senate Republicans to use the reconciliation process to pass a three-year funding package for border security operations.
Paycheck Updates
This comes as employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) started receiving back pay for time worked during the shutdown after President Trump issued an executive order bypassing Congress.
The TSA said absences on Monday, March 30, fell sharply as workers started receiving paychecks again. Security lines at major airports that saw multi-hour delays had largely returned to normal.
However, employees at other DHS units are still holding out for an official end to the shutdown to receive their paychecks.
That includes employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), some permanent full-time employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), many civilian employees at ICE and CBP who are not law enforcement officers, as well as others across the department.
“I have friends and colleagues who are suffering and demoralized, especially after the decision to fund TSA, while FEMA and CISA employees continue to be overlooked,” said a FEMA employee to Federal News Network.
