Trump unites divided GOP leadership behind Homeland Security deal – Roll Call

## Summary
Patrick's Day, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. ( Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call ) By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton Posted April 1, 2026 at 4:42pm Facebook Twitter Email Reddit President Donald Trump and GOP leaders united behind a plan Wednesday to end the record-breaking partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, committing themselves to a two-track strategy that includes passing a reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement funding by June 1. With the shutdown stretching into its seventh week and pressure growing to pay DHS workers, Trump rallied behind a Senate plan that envisioned passing a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill to provide immigration enforcement funding that Democrats have rejected. Trump announced in a statement on his Truth Social platform that the administration would work in “close conjunction” with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bypass Democratic opposition and approve the immigration funding package through reconciliation. “I am asking that the bill be on my desk NO LATER than June 1st,” Trump wrote, while also pointing to the coming midterm elections: “Our Law Enforcement Officers and the American People should not have to wait until the Democrats see reason or, learn the hard way through the Polls.” The president added that the administration would continue to draw from funds approved in last year’s “big, beautiful” reconciliation law to “ensure that ICE and Border Patrol Agents are paid ON TIME, and IN FULL.” Within hours of Trump’s announcement, Thune and Johnson issued a rare joint statement fully endorsing the effort. “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,” they said. “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,” they added. House Republicans had publicly mocked the idea of relying on a future reconciliation bill to provide immigration funding they wanted to see included immediately. “We don’t operate on hope,” House Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said at a hearing. “We operate on process, deliberation and action.” But Trump’s new endorsement of the plan, along with Johnson’s, appeared likely to bring House Republicans on board.

## Article Content
President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., are seen in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall after the Friends of Ireland luncheon with Micheál Martin, Taoiseach of Ireland, on St. Patrick's Day, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
)
By
Aris Folley
and
Jacob Fulton
Posted April 1, 2026 at 4:42pm
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Reddit
President Donald Trump and GOP leaders united behind a plan Wednesday to end the record-breaking partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, committing themselves to a two-track strategy that includes passing a reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement funding by June 1.
With the shutdown stretching into its seventh week and pressure growing to pay DHS workers, Trump rallied behind a Senate plan that envisioned passing a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill to provide immigration enforcement funding that Democrats have rejected.
The move could convince House Republicans to revisit a Senate-passed proposal that would fund all of the department except for the two immigration agencies at the heart of the conflict: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, and Customs and Border Protection, which is home to the Border Patrol. That plan, which the
House set aside
in favor of an eight-week funding extension, could gain new life with the assurance that more money for immigration enforcement would be coming through reconciliation.
Trump announced in a statement on his Truth Social platform that the administration would work in “close conjunction” with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bypass Democratic opposition and approve the immigration funding package through reconciliation.
“I am asking that the bill be on my desk NO LATER than June 1st,” Trump wrote, while also pointing to the coming midterm elections: “Our Law Enforcement Officers and the American People should not have to wait until the Democrats see reason or, learn the hard way through the Polls.”
The president added that the administration would continue to draw from funds approved in last year’s “big, beautiful” reconciliation law to “ensure that ICE and Border Patrol Agents are paid ON TIME, and IN FULL.”
Within hours of Trump’s announcement, Thune and Johnson issued a rare joint statement fully endorsing the effort.
“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,” they said.
“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,” they added.
Divided no more
The joint statement marked a striking turnaround from last week, when the two GOP leaders pushed competing plans for ending the shutdown that resulted in gridlock.
Johnson had dismissed the Senate’s bill, largely engineered by Thune, as a “gambit” and a “joke,” while pushing for a simple eight-week funding extension for the beleaguered department. House Republicans had publicly mocked the idea of relying on a future reconciliation bill to provide immigration funding they wanted to see included immediately.
“We don’t operate on hope,” House Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said at a hearing. “We operate on process, deliberation and action.”
But Trump’s new endorsement of the plan, along with Johnson’s, appeared likely to bring House Republicans on board.
Trump’s statement also marked a departure from the president’s past hesitation to get behind a second party-line reconciliation package. For months, Trump had insisted that no new major legislation would be necessary after the passage of his “big, beautiful bill.”
More Republicans have warmed to the idea of a second reconciliation package, but there is still skepticism in the party about the chances of clearing another megabill, particularly given the slim margins in the House and the fast-approaching midterm elections.
House Budget Chairman Jodey C. Arrington, R-Texas, said in late March that Republicans would need to have the package “in play over the next 60 days,” arguing it will be harder for the party to coalesce behind such a plan the closer lawmakers get to November.
Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has long pushed for a reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement and defense, quickly endorsed Trump’s new deadline in a statement he issued Wednesday. “Mr. President, as Senate Budget Committee Chairman, I will work with my fellow Republican committee members to meet your request to have reconciliation done by June 1, fully funding ICE and Border Patrol.”
But a June 1 deadline means Congress has less than two months to complet

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- The move could convince House Republicans to revisit a Senate-passed proposal that would fund all of the department except for the two immigration agencies at the heart of the conflict: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, and Customs and Border Protection, which is home to the Border Patrol.
- That plan, which the House set aside in favor of an eight-week funding extension, could gain new life with the assurance that more money for immigration enforcement would be coming through reconciliation.
- Trump announced in a statement on his Truth Social platform that the administration would work in “close conjunction” with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bypass Democratic opposition and approve the immigration funding package through reconciliation. “I am asking that the bill be on my desk NO LATER than June 1st,” Trump wrote, while also pointing to the coming midterm elections: “Our Law Enforcement Officers and the American People should not have to wait until the Democrats see reason or, learn the hard way through the Polls.” The president added that the administration would continue to draw from funds approved in last year’s “big, beautiful” reconciliation law to “ensure that ICE and Border Patrol Agents are paid ON TIME, and IN FULL.” Within hours of Trump’s announcement, Thune and Johnson issued a rare joint statement fully endorsing the effort. “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,” they said. “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,” they added.
- House Republicans had publicly mocked the idea of relying on a future reconciliation bill to provide immigration funding they wanted to see included immediately. “We don’t operate on hope,” House Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said at a hearing. “We operate on process, deliberation and action.” But Trump’s new endorsement of the plan, along with Johnson’s, appeared likely to bring House Republicans on board.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers trump, reconciliation, house topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1031.