Mike Johnson Caves, Agrees To Pass Shutdown-Ending Bill He Called ‘Joke’ Days Before
Anthony Iafrate
Associate Editor
April 01, 2026 4:21 PM ET
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he is working with the Senate on a plan to end the record-breaking 47-day partial government shutdown via passing a bill he had dismissed as a “joke” just days earlier.
Johnson and Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune jointly announced in a statement posted to X that they are pursuing a two-pronged approach to end the shutdown and fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The plan entails the House passing a Senate-approved bill to fund the entire department except its immigration enforcement agencies, which Johnson on Friday called a “gambit” and “joke.” Congress would then seek to use the reconciliation process, which allows the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority vote, to fully fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at a later date, per the two GOP leaders’ announced plan.
“In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the President’s directive by fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process,” Johnson and Thune wrote in their statement.
“In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited. In return, Democrats will once again demonstrate to the American people their support for open borders and keeping criminal illegal immigrants in America,” the GOP congressional leaders continued.
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https://dailycaller.com/2026/04/01/mike-johnson-john-thune-dhs-shutdown-funding/
