House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are openly clashing over Homeland Security funding, complicating Republicans' path out of the 72-day shutdown.

Why it matters: Thune is unlikely to say it publicly, but frustration is running high among Senate Republicans over Johnson's failure to pass a DHS appropriations bill that cleared the Senate — twice.

• The two leaders began the month with a joint statement and a joint plan of action: fund ICE and Border Patrol through reconciliation, and the rest of DHS through the regular appropriations process.
• 🪫 DHS has warned that its stopgap fund to pay staff will run out in the coming weeks.

Driving the news: Johnson is looking to modify the Senate-passed DHS bill to secure votes in the House. As written, it doesn't have the votes to pass until after a reconciliation bill is passed.

• "It has some problematic language because it was haphazardly drafted," Johnson said of the bill funding the non-immigration parts of DHS.
• "We have a modified version that I think is going to be much better for both chambers. It doesn't change most of the substance,' he said.

👎 A few hundred feet away, Thune was asked to respond to what Johnson had just said. He was diplomatic, but his message was clear:

• "I think we did everything we can to ensure that everything is appropriately funded," he said.

Later, Thune seemed open to working with Johnson on how to alter the bill.

• "We're working with the House to see if there's a way to do that," Thune said.

⌛️ Zoom in: The main point of contention in the House is around language that "zeroes out" funding for ICE and Border Patrol in the Senate-passed appropriations bill.

• A broad group of members wants to strip that language from the Senate bill, avoiding taking a vote seen as defunding law enforcement.
• They're still considering waiting until the reconciliation process is complete, and pairing a final vote on that with the DHS appropriations bill. But that would likely leave the department shut down through mid-May.

✍️ Between the lines: Johnson appears to be signaling relatively minor edits — more of a stylistic rewrite than a substantive overhaul.

• Even small changes would require the Senate to take up and pass the bill again.

The bottom line: Both men are Republicans. Both are leaders. And both are staking out public positions that could make a private deal harder to reach.

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— Hans Nichols and Kate Santaliz

Rep. Thomas Massie has stopped counting on help from Elon Musk, despite a vow of support from the world's richest man.

🤞 Why it matters: Musk has cut huge checks to Republicans and GOP super PACs this cycle. But he's yet to lift a finger to help Massie against Navy SEAL veteran Ed Gallrein, who was recruited by President Trump.

• Massie is Trump's No. 1 primary target this cycle.
• With just a few weeks until Kentucky's May 19 primary, there's no record of any Musk donation or outside spending on Massie's behalf.
• Polls have given Massie a lead over Gallerin, but by far less than in his previous reelection bids.

💰 Zoom in: "It's hard for donors in business to get involved in politics if they're not completely just in the tank for Trump without putting their businesses in jeopardy," Massie told us at the Capitol last week.

• "I don't know if that's the case with Elon, but I've seen that with other donors," he said. Massie declined to identify those donors.

🚀 The bottom line: "I think [Musk] found out it's easier to land rockets backwards and to get cars to drive themselves than it is to fix this place," Massie said.

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— Kate Santaliz

Democrats unleashed fury on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican state legislators today over a newly unveiled congressional map aimed at drawing out as many as four Democratic House members.

Why it matters: Party leadership is bullish that Republicans have overextended themselves and created an opening for Democrats to make gains in Florida if they perform strongly enough in November.

• "Florida is not going to make a meaningful difference as it relates to their efforts to rig the midterm elections," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters at a press conference today.

Driving the news: DeSantis' office sent reporters a proposed new House map with 24 districts shaded red for Republicans and just four shaded blue for Democrats.

• If the districts swing the way the map suggests, it would represent a 50% loss of seats for Democrats, who currently hold eight.
• But the map also reduces Republicans' edge in some seats that are currently solidly GOP, which some analysts said could backfire if Democrats have high enough turnout.

What they're saying: "What the DeSantis Dummymander might lead to is that ... based on our analysis of the map, there are anywhere between three and five additional seats that Democrats can pick up if we get a turnout that mirrors 2018 or 2020," Jeffries said today.

• CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for Jeffries-aligned House Majority PAC, said in a statement to us that "Meatball Ron's Dummymander will not save Republicans," drawing on the derisive nickname President Trump gave DeSantis during the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
• Spokespeople for DeSantis did not respond to requests for comment.

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— Andrew Solender