Republican Leaders Announce Two-Track Strategy to End Record 47-Day DHS Shutdown

Republican congressional leaders announced a two-track plan on April 1, 2026, to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which entered its 47th day on Wednesday after beginning on February 14, 2026. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune issued a joint statement saying Republicans in both chambers would pursue two parallel legislative paths to fully fund the department. The first path involves passing a bipartisan Senate-approved bill to fund most of DHS through September 30, 2026. The second path would use a separate reconciliation bill later in the year to fund immigration enforcement agencies that were excluded from the immediate measure. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the plan, having earlier posted on social media calling on Republicans to fund immigration enforcement without Democratic support and demanding the legislation reach his desk by June 1.

ICE and Border Patrol left out of immediate bill The Senate-approved bill at the center of the plan omits funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection, agencies whose funding became the central point of contention in the shutdown standoff. Democrats had demanded new restrictions on those agencies, including a mask ban for agents, following the killing of two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, during protests against ICE in Minneapolis in January 2026. The Trump administration refused to accept those conditions, and the latest Republican agreement does not address Democratic demands. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer nevertheless framed the outcome as a Democratic win.

„For days, Republican divisions have prevented a bipartisan agreement.” — Chuck Schumer via AP News

Republicans countered that the reconciliation track would deliver long-term, partisan funding for ICE and border security operations without requiring Democratic votes. Not all Republicans were satisfied: Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania wrote on social media that a vote excluding CBP and ICE funding would amount to defunding law enforcement and leaving borders open, declaring his opposition. Johnson himself had previously dismissed the Senate bill as a "joke" before reversing course under pressure from Trump, according to Politico.

Senate clears procedural path; House timeline uncertain The Senate moved early Thursday morning, April 2, to formally set aside the House's earlier 60-day all-DHS stopgap bill and clear the procedural path for the House to take up the Senate-passed measure. John Thune made the motion in a near-empty chamber, and the Senate was expected to act through a unanimous consent procedure during a brief pro-forma session. The House also held a pro-forma session Thursday morning, but leaders were not expected to attempt a vote immediately, as it would take only a single objecting member to block passage. According to Politico, Johnson would likely have two more opportunities the following week before the chamber returns to full session on April 14. A House Republican conference call was scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday to discuss strategy, including assurances from the White House and Senate regarding the subsequent reconciliation bill.

47 (days) — Length of DHS partial shutdown as of April 1, 2026

The DHS shutdown began on February 14, 2026, when the department ran out of federal funding from Congress. The dispute centered on Democratic demands for new restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol following the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January 2026. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill excluding ICE and Border Patrol funding, but House Republicans rejected it and passed their own 60-day full-DHS stopgap instead. Congress then left Washington for a two-week recess without resolving the impasse, extending the shutdown further.

TSA workers went unpaid; tax deadline extended for DHS staff The shutdown produced tangible disruptions across the country, most visibly at major airports where tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration employees worked without pay since mid-February, leading to widespread sick calls, resignations, and record-long wait times at security checkpoints. Trump separately tapped an alternative funding source to begin paying TSA employees as airport lines reached record lengths, according to Bloomberg. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Wednesday that DHS employees affected by the shutdown would receive a 30-day automatic extension on their federal income tax filing deadline, moving it from April 15 to May 15.

„The continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has created unnecessary disruptions, placing an unfair burden on DHS personnel and their families.” — Scott Bessent via Bloomberg Business

The extension, which also carries penalty and interest relief, invokes the same authority the IRS has used during natural disasters and the 2020 pandemic. Even if the House passes the Senate bill in the coming days, the second track of the plan — delivering a reconciliation-based immigration enforcement funding bill to Trump's desk — faces a tight timeline, with the president setting a June 1 deadline. The Senate was expected to first adopt a budget resolution to unlock the partisan immigration bill, a process that could take until the end of April, according to Politico.

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