The Senate on Thursday passed a bill for a second time to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security but without money for immigration enforcement.
The measure heads back to the House, which rejected it once but is expected to pass it on the second go after Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, agreed to the Senate’s two-part funding plan.
Once that happens, the record DHS shutdown, now in its seventh week, will end.
The agencies not funded under the bill — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the border patrol functions of Customs and Border Protection — have been operating mostly as normal using a separate stream of funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Republicans are planning to use a second filibuster-proof budget reconciliation package to give ICE and CBP enough money to last through President Trump’s term so that Democrats cannot stand in the way of the administration’s deportation agenda.
Mr. Trump says he wants that bill on his desk no later than June 1.
Congress is currently on recess until the week of April 13.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, returned to Washington to repass the partial DHS funding bill.
During a Thursday pro forma session of the Senate, Mr. Thune, by voice vote, tabled the House substitute amendment to the bill that would have funded all of DHS through May 22. That sends the original Senate-passed measure back to the House.
The House could also try to pass the measure by voice vote during its next pro forma session on Monday. However, if any member shows up to demand a roll call vote, that would further delay an end to the shutdown.
Some House Republicans have publicly objected to the plan, but it is not clear if any of them would travel back to Washington to force a roll call vote.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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