The assassination attempt against President Trump at the Washington Hilton has exposed a deepening rift within the Republican Party over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are locked in a bitter dispute that threatens to leave key agencies—including the Secret Service—without paychecks.
Senate Republicans are pressing Johnson to immediately pass a bill they approved unanimously on March 27. The measure would fund most of DHS, including the Secret Service, which neutralized the armed assailant at the Hilton. Senator Steve Daines called the House’s inaction “ridiculous,” especially given elevated threat levels linked to Iran. “It was incumbent on them well before this even happened,” Daines said.
Senator Katie Britt, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, warned that Secret Service employees will stop receiving pay after Saturday. “For 72 days they have gone without their mission being funded. That’s a problem,” she said. She urged Congress to resolve the impasse this week, noting that the “vast majority” of funding for critical workers runs out this weekend.
But Johnson rejected the Senate bill, calling it “haphazardly drafted” because it zeros out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. He proposed a modified version that would keep those agencies funded, arguing that “we have to make sure that immigration law is enforced and the border is safe and secure.”
Thune countered that the Senate has twice sent legislation to fund most of DHS through September and that ICE and Border Patrol already have over $100 billion in unobligated funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He also noted that the Senate has started budget reconciliation to allocate another $70–80 billion for those agencies through 2029. “Our work in terms of the funding process is well underway here,” Thune said.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin observed that the standoff is now between the two Republican leaders. “The standoff is now between the two Republican leaders in the House and Senate,” he said, pointing out that ICE and Border Patrol would get a funding windfall through reconciliation anyway.
Senator James Lankford said it’s “way past time” for the House to vote. Senator Lindsey Graham, along with Daines, Britt, and Bernie Moreno, presented the Senate plan to Trump last month. The plan would fund most of DHS through regular appropriations and boost ICE and Border Patrol through reconciliation.
The net result is a continuing partial shutdown of DHS, with Republicans in both chambers pointing fingers. The standoff has become increasingly embarrassing for the GOP, as the Secret Service—critical after the assassination attempt—faces a funding cliff. For more on Johnson’s proposed changes, see Johnson Revises Senate DHS Funding Bill, Risking Further Shutdown Delays. And for broader GOP tensions, read Johnson Urges GOP to Kill Filibuster Over DHS Funding After Trump Assassination Attempt.
