House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are openly clashing over Homeland Security funding, threatening to prolong a 72-day government shutdown. The dispute centers on how to pass appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with Johnson seeking changes to a Senate-approved bill.
Thune's frustration is mounting among Senate Republicans over Johnson's failure to pass a DHS appropriations bill that has cleared the upper chamber twice, Axios reports. The two leaders originally agreed on a dual strategy: fund ICE and Border Patrol through reconciliation and the rest of DHS via regular appropriations.
DHS has warned that its stopgap fund to pay staff will run out in the coming weeks. Johnson is now looking to modify the Senate-passed bill to secure House votes, arguing it contains "problematic language" that was "haphazardly drafted." He claims a modified version would not change most of the substance.
Thune, while not publicly criticizing Johnson, is reportedly pushing for a cleaner path forward. The standoff underscores the deep divisions within the GOP over spending priorities even as government operations remain suspended.
Some Republican strategists warn that infighting could erode public trust in the party's ability to govern, handing a political advantage to Democrats ahead of the next election cycle.