In the early hours of the morning, with just 5 Senators, weasel Thune passed a Senate bill to pay the DHS and defund ICE. Then he snuck out of town.
Early Friday morning (around 2:18–3 a.m.), the Senate passed a funding package for most of th Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via a voice vote under unanimous consent.
It came after this.
Only five senators were present on the floor: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Bernie Moreno (R-OH, presiding).
Looks like Leader John Thune is on his way out of town with his private escort, as the SAVE America Act gets left behind.
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) March 27, 2026
This is very disappointing.
I am willing to stay in Washington as long as it takes to get the job done. pic.twitter.com/NLg4xEJRdg
House Republicans are furious over the Senate’s early-morning voice-vote bill that funds most of DHS but deliberately excludes new funding for ICE enforcement including child trafficking and CBP border operations.
Many conservatives, especially the Freedom Caucus, are calling the deal a cave-in and labelling Senate Republicans who allowed it as weak or cowardly for passing it with only five senators present and no recorded vote.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Speaker Johnson and Whip Tom Emmer are FURIOUS with what the Senate GOP did with the DHS funding deal, which omits ICE
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 27, 2026
The Senate might have to COME BACK.
"They did this at 3 IN THE MORNING!"
"Our speaker is VERY unhappy, I'M not happy! Our whole leadership."… pic.twitter.com/tmfOXNC7hW
Speaker Mike Johnson held meetings with the House conference today but has not committed to the Senate version. Conservatives are demanding the House add back full ICE and CBP funding, possibly attach border security measures, and send the bill back to the Senate—potentially forcing senators to return from Easter recess. Some are instead pushing a short-term continuing resolution to keep all of DHS funded and maintain pressure.
The House was set to leave for its two-week Easter recess today, but votes on DHS funding are still possible this evening. If conservatives block the Senate bill without changes, the partial shutdown continues. House Democrats appear more open to the Senate approach, making passage tricky with the narrow GOP majority.
🚨 House Freedom Caucus members gather off the House floor and HFC Chair Andy Harris says: “The only thing we're going to support is adding that funding into the bill, adding voter ID, sending it back to the Senate, making them come back in and do their work. The bottom line is,… pic.twitter.com/wp32ZqnLbM
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) March 27, 2026
So what can they do? How about this!?
Now it looks like they’ll be voting on a 60-day CR, extending funding for ALL of DHS.