Days after a messy intra-party blowup, President Donald Trump and GOP leaders are projecting unity on a plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security amid the longest-ever partial authorities shutdown.
But it’s not but clear how lengthy it should take to restore funding for the reason that plan is nowhere close to shut to touchdown on Trump’s desk. While the Senate plans to take its preliminary step as quickly as Thursday morning, the House hasn’t but mentioned when it should make its strikes — and a number of House GOP sources informed NCS that’s extremely unlikely to occur within the subsequent few days, with many Republicans nonetheless anticipating clear assurances that the remaining immigration funding will probably be delivered and nonetheless cautious of the precedent of letting Democrats efficiently defund elements of an company they dislike.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson issued a press release on Wednesday declaring an formidable two-track plan to end the DHS shutdown and pursue a second Trump megabill, after the passage final summer time of the president’s tax and border-focused “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
That joint assertion, nevertheless, doesn’t deal with a significant remaining hurdle — when precisely the House will probably be prepared to move the Senate plan that they’ve detested from the beginning, placing the GOP’s fragile unity to the check. And any plan will probably be terribly troublesome for GOP leaders to pull off inside Congress’s slender margins and simply months from a midterm election.
In their assertion, Thune and Johnson successfully acknowledge that Congress will want to settle for a partial reopening of DHS, which the Senate GOP leader had accepted last week to the disdain of his House GOP colleagues.
But it additionally comes with a sweetener for Johnson and House conservatives — a public promise for a second Trump megabill to safe that further immigration funding. The assertion from the Hill GOP leaders got here shortly after Trump issued an analogous assertion demanding that invoice by June 1.
Republicans will pursue what’s referred to as reconciliation, a extremely complicated maneuver that should abide by strict Senate budgetary guidelines, but permits them to bypass that chamber’s filibuster and move a invoice with out Democratic votes.
Thune had already recommended that Senate Republicans might pursue this tough route to safe ICE funding when he agreed to move a partial DHS funding invoice with Democratic help. House Republicans, however, quickly rejected that plan, criticizing the dearth of immigration enforcement funding.
Now, House Republicans who’ve been lengthy keen to use the complicated procedural software once more have compelled each Thune and Trump to go on the report supporting it.
GOP leaders in each chambers know that so-called Reconciliation 2.0 will probably be extraordinarily troublesome: Even if there’s an effort to maintain it comparatively narrowly targeted, members will strive to load up that invoice with all their election-year priorities, together with coverage wish-lists like voter ID that aren’t technically allowed within the budget-focused invoice.
Republicans have additionally severely talked about utilizing the reconciliation maneuver to fund Trump’s conflict in Iran since Democrats have no real interest in supporting it. It’s not but clear if the Iran cash — which hasn’t been formally requested but — can move on this measure earlier than June 1.
In his assertion, Trump mentioned he’s working with Republican congressional leaders to fund ICE and border patrol with a second reconciliation invoice he has demanded be prepared for his signature by the remarkably fast deadline.
Trump slammed Democrats for not funding ICE till key calls for on reforms had been met, and the president mentioned he’s planning to work round Democrats through the use of the reconciliation course of to present cash for the company.
“That’s why we are going forward to fund our incredible ICE Agents and Border Patrol through a process that doesn’t need Radical Left Democrat votes, and bypasses the Senate Filibuster (which should be repealed, IMMEDIATELY!), working in close conjunction with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Leader John Thune,” he mentioned in a lengthy Truth Social post.
Trump’s directive to the celebration for a brand new GOP megabill comes after the president principally remained on the sidelines of Congress’ deepening DHS shutdown disaster. Now, he’s hoping to put a possible end in sight for the shutdown — and making an attempt to drive the GOP to unite behind an answer after days of ugly intraparty sniping.
The president is tossing a brand new demand to Congress at a tough time: GOP lawmakers are deeply divided on technique and agenda, and Johnson has solely a single vote to lose within the House. They additionally know members will clamor to get their very own priorities tacked onto the megabill. Many lawmakers in each chambers, together with in management, imagine this would be the solely manner to move Trump’s calls for for extra Iran funding, as effectively — which will probably be one other enormous elevate this spring.
GOP leaders are already making an attempt to model the invoice as a “skinny” reconciliation invoice to stop their members from overloading the invoice and holding up its passage. But ultraconservatives are keen to use the software for debt discount — and should demand that cuts be included in any bundle.