Johnson Caves To Thune On DHS Funding: Accepts Senate’s Partial Bill That Ditches Voter ID, Leaves ICE Out In The Cold

In a clear concession announced April 1, 2026, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) yielded to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and agreed to advance the Senate-passed bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - explicitly excluding ICE and key CBP enforcement operations - while moving long-term immigration enforcement and border security funding to the partisan reconciliation process.

This is the same bill that Johnson and House R’s rejected for over a week.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer quickly claimed victory:

NEWS: House Republicans caved.

They’ve agreed to pass the Senate bill to fund DHS except for ICE and CBP that unanimously passed a week ago. https://t.co/261f3cukS4

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 1, 2026

Full Johnson-Thune Joint Statement

“We appreciate and share the President’s determination to once and for all bring an end to the Democrat DHS shutdown.

“In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the President’s directive by fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process.

“We appreciate that Senator Graham and the Senate Budget Committee have already initiated the process of developing a budget resolution that will ensure border security and immigration enforcement will be funded for the balance of the Trump Administration and insulated from future attempts by the Democrats to defund those agencies.

“We operated under a belief that while our country is in the midst of an international armed conflict, Democrats might finally come to their senses and understand that defunding our homeland security agencies is beyond reckless and very dangerous. While we hoped they would accept the 60-day CR to fund the Department entirely so that bipartisan negotiations could continue, it is now abundantly clear that Democrats place allegiance to their radical left-wing base above all else — including their own power of the purse — which means open borders and protecting criminal illegal aliens. That is not acceptable to Republicans in Congress, nor is it to the American people. We cannot allow Democrats to any longer put the safety of the American public at risk through their open border policies, so we are taking that off the table.

“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. In return, Democrats will once again demonstrate to the American people their support for open borders and keeping criminal illegal immigrants in America.” -Speaker Johnson, X

The impasse began after House Republicans passed a full DHS bill with strong ICE/CBP funding. Senate Democrats blocked it, triggering a partial shutdown in mid-February that idled TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, and CISA while leaving ICE/CBP on prior-year funds. On March 27 the Senate passed its stripped-down version by unanimous consent; House GOP initially rejected it as “garbage” and countered with a 60-day full CR that Schumer killed. Trump ultimately backed the two-track Senate approach.

Good on paper, Thune… but we’ve heard this song before. President Trump demanded FULL border security — that means funding ICE + Border Patrol AND passing the SAVE America Act to STOP non-citizens from voting in our elections. Without the SAVE Act, this is just half a win.…

— Donald J Trump The Service Dog (@Donnie4Veterans) April 1, 2026

This deal also leaves the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act - the House-passed bill requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration – completely untouched and stalled in the Senate. Trump and GOP hardliners had demanded it be attached to any DHS package; it was not included in the Senate bill or the immediate appropriations track.

Leaders may try elements in the reconciliation package for ICE/CBP funding, but the Byrd Rule makes non-budgetary policy changes difficult. Many conservatives on X are already blasting Johnson and Thune for failing to deliver the SAVE Act now.

What Happens Next

• House expected to pass the Senate bill within days, reopening TSA/FEMA/Coast Guard and paying workers.
• Senate Budget Committee advances reconciliation resolution to lock in three years of enforcement funding, protected from future Democratic defunding.
• The SAVE Act fight is deferred, setting up another round of intra-GOP tension.

The agreement ends the immediate partial shutdown but guarantees continued immigration battles heading into the 2026 midterms.

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