House tinkers with DHS bill, prolonging shutdown
The agency has been shut down for an unprecedented 73 days
What happened
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Monday that a Senate bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security contains “problematic language,” and House Republicans “have a modified version” that would be “much better for both chambers.” Any changes to the bill, which the Senate twice passed unanimously a month ago, would prolong the record 73-day DHS shutdown.
Who said what
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that anything other than a “technical fix” in the House would be a “real problem.” A group of House Republicans is pushing to strip “language that ‘zeroes out’ funding for ICE and Border Patrol,” seeking to avoid “taking a vote seen as defunding law enforcement,” Axios said. “Frustration is running high among Senate Republicans over Johnson’s failure” to get his party in line. There’s also “growing animosity from rank-and-file Republicans that a handful of conservatives are dictating the process,” CNN said.
What next?
DHS funding is one of a “slew of contentious votes” Republicans face this week, along with spy powers legislation “that conservative privacy hawks detest and a massive farm bill that’s angered the MAHA bloc of the GOP,” CNN said.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
