House Republicans cave to Senate with vote to end 75-day DHS shutdown

Justin Green

This is MIke Johnson and John Thune — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) holds a chart on paying military and federal workers during a news conference with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) about a government shutdown at the Capitol on Oct. 10, 2025. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call

House lawmakers passed Homeland Security funding by voice vote Thursday, which should end the partial shutdown that's become the longest in U.S. history.

Why it matters: If the House had waited for the Senate to pass a reconciliation bill, as some GOP lawmakers insisted, it would have left DHS closed until mid-May.

Zoom in: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) agreed to a two-track funding deal in early April.

First they'd pass funding through regular appropriations for all of DHS but ICE and Border Patrol, which are already funded by the "Big, Beautiful Bill" from 2025.
Then they'd pass a party-line bill via budget reconciliation to add funding to ICE and Border Patrol.

Between the lines: House lawmakers revolted over passing DHS funding without funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

Some members saw that as defunding law enforcement, Axios previously reported.

What's next: The House passed a budget resolution on Wednesday night, starting the process to provide billions in new funding for immigration enforcement.

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House Republicans cave to Senate with vote to end 75-day DHS shutdown

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