WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) appears to have dropped his demand that a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security include money for ICE and Border Patrol, accepting a deal he disparaged as unacceptable only days earlier.

If Johnson lets the House pass the bill, it will mean the end of a seven-week shutdown that’s caused many DHS workers to miss multiple paychecks. It’s a significant retreat for Johnson and House Republicans, though it also means Democrats could soon have little leverage in the push for reforms at the two immigration enforcement agencies.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced they would be “fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security” through two separate tracks, one a long-term budget process and the other a more immediate appropriation. President Donald Trump seemed to endorse the plan in a post on his website.

After the Senate passed its bipartisan DHS bill excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week, Johnson refused to allow a House vote, and the chamber instead passed a 60-day “continuing resolution” to fund all of DHS. Neither Thune nor Senate Democrats showed any interest in the House bill, however.

In their joint statement, Johnson and Thune said they were no longer pursuing the 60-day resolution.

“We cannot allow Democrats to any longer put the safety of the American public at risk through their open border policies, so we are taking that off the table,” Johnson and Thune said.

The two Republican leaders did not say the House would pass the Senate bill, though doing so would fit their description of funding DHS “through the appropriations process” and following it up with a budget bill that Senate Republicans have already started working on.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) put out a triumphant statement in response.

“For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction,” Schumer said. “Throughout this fight, Senate Democrats never wavered. We were clear from the start: fund critical security, protect Americans, and no blank check for reckless ICE and Border Patrol enforcement. We were united, held the line, and refused to let Republican chaos win.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) put out a similar message: “Mike Johnson and House Republicans have come to realize that we will never bend the knee.”

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.