Republicans are pushing hard to get Department of Homeland Security funding back on track after the Secret Service stopped what appears to be a third assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, and the standoff over immigration carve-outs has put the House in the spotlight as funding hangs in the balance.
The DHS funding lapse has stretched on for more than two months, and lawmakers are under pressure to act quickly to restore money to critical agencies like the Secret Service. The shutdown began over disagreements about immigration operations, but attention has shifted to House Republicans to drive a resolution forward. The urgency has only intensified after the recent attack near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Speaker Mike Johnson has been cautious about bringing the Senate’s package to the floor because it leaves funding for ICE and CBP out of the deal, a sticking point for many conservatives. That reluctance softened publicly after the apparent assassination attempt, signaling that national security concerns are now overpowering some procedural objections. “We have to move DHS funding because it’s urgent. As the secretary of Homeland has said, we’re out of money. He’s out of money at the end of this week,” Johnson told reporters Monday. “It’s very dangerous, as demonstrated Saturday night. We’ve got to get the job done.”
House Republicans are pushing to act fast and clear the Senate-passed partial DHS bill, arguing it would stabilize protections while other work on immigration continues. Rep. Nick Langworthy made the case bluntly, writing that “There is no time for delay,” and urging immediate consideration of the Senate measure. He warned that the attack around the White House Correspondents’ Dinner made the danger plain and said Republicans should show they can deliver timely solutions.
Democrats pointed fingers at the GOP for the prolonged funding lapse, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries saying “Bring the bipartisan Senate-passed bill to the House floor today, and it would fund the Department of Homeland Security in its entirety, with the exception of ICE and the violent Republican mass deportation machine,” Jeffries said. That line framed the fight as partisan, but for many conservatives the real question is whether to prioritize immediate security funding or hold out for broader immigration changes.
Meanwhile, the White House sent officials to meet with House Republicans as the calendar tightened and funding deadlines loomed, seeking a path forward that protects security resources without ceding negotiation leverage on immigration. Republicans have been operating on two tracks: a short-term route to restore DHS operations now, and a longer-term reconciliation plan to secure ICE and Border Patrol funding for multiple years. That dual approach reflects a desire to get security money flowing while still pursuing structural immigration reforms.
The reconciliation plan under consideration would fund ICE and CBP for roughly three and a half years through the budget process, a move Republicans argue is necessary to prevent future shutdown leverage. House GOP leaders expect to sign onto a Senate-passed budget resolution that unlocks reconciliation work, and they’ve set a rapid timeline to finish the package by June 1. President Trump urged members to approve the Senate measure without changes so the machinery for a durable immigration fix can start rolling.
Some Senate Republicans are exploring emergency options to fund the Secret Service and other DHS pieces if the House stalls, and pressure is rising across both chambers. Sen. Rick Scott urged the Senate to force Democrats into a recorded vote, writing that “This week, the Senate should put Democrats on record again and see how they vote,” Scott said. “Will they decide now is a good time to finally fund [the] Secret Service and all of DHS? Even after last night’s violence and ANOTHER assassination attempt against the President of the United States, this shouldn’t be such a fight to get done.”
Talk about drastic procedural moves has also surfaced, with Sen. Ron Johnson suggesting “this may be the moment” to eliminate the filibuster if Democrats block funding at a time of clear danger. Calls to nuke the 60-vote threshold have been part of the broader debate over how to break legislative gridlock, though many GOP senators remain wary because it could backfire when control shifts. For now, the pressure is practical: secure the Secret Service and DHS, then keep fighting for the immigration and border policies Republicans campaigned on.
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