Republican Congressional Leaders Announce Plan To End the Partial Shutdown

Republican leaders in Congress say they have reached a deal to end the partial government shutdown and fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune issued a joint statement on Wednesday saying they would use two parallel tracks to fully fund DHS, ending the record-long partial shutdown that left airport security screeners without pay.

One path would follow the regular appropriations process, and the other would use a reconciliation bill, a maneuver Republicans could pursue on their own later this year. Both tracks would face opposition from Democrats and neither is guaranteed.

The announcement signals cooperation between Johnson and Thune, and follows a directive from President Donald Trump earlier in the day to "replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents."

Unlike the broader 43-day government shutdown last fall, the current funding interruption for DHS has not impacted key housing programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program, which underwrites more than 90% of residential flood insurance policies in the nation. 

However, it has caused long lines and delays at airports after Transportation Security Administration employees went weeks without pay. TSA agents began receiving partial paychecks last week after Trump directed DHS to redirect funds to temporarily cover payroll.

The DHS funding lapse, now stretching 47 days, stems from Democratic demands for reforms to the department following the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by ICE agents. But the shutdown has not affected ICE because of separate prior legislation securing funding for the agency.

New funding plan from Johnson and Thune

The new dual-track plan indicates that Johnson and Thune are now in agreement on the path forward, after the two Republicans were publicly divided on the solution a week ago.

Their statement said the effort would proceed “in the coming days” and framed it as a response to Trump’s directive earlier in the day to end the impasse.

Johnson and Thune cast the plan as a break from Democratic resistance, saying: “We appreciate and share the President’s determination to once and for all bring an end to the Democrat DHS shutdown.”

The statement comes after the Senate passed a DHS bill that would have left out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, while House Republicans rejected that measure and advanced a 60-day stopgap instead. The disagreement has kept the shutdown alive and sent lawmakers home for recess without a deal.

Even with the new plan, the outcome is far from certain, because Senate Democrats would still need to cooperate with part of the process, and the reconciliation route would require GOP unity at a later date, which is far from assured.