DHS is still shut down because extremists own Mike Johnson. The House Speaker blew up a Senate bill reopening DHS because he didn’t want to wind up like his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by the Freedom Caucus.
, at 45 days and counting. It appeared to have finally been resolved in the wee hours of Friday, March 27, when the Senate unanimously approved a bill toDHS, albeit with no new funding for immigration enforcement .
It was assumed at the time that the House would quickly rubber-stamp the bill and Congress could then enjoy a two-week Easter recess. But no: After House Freedom Caucus members angrily rejected any sort of cooperation with Democrats on DHS funding, House Speaker Mike Johnson whipped through a party-line short-term funding bill for the department that included immigration enforcement, blowing up the Senate deal and assuring a continued shutdown. Both congressional chambers have now adjourned for two weeks amid mutual recriminations between House and Senate Republicans. ICE and the Border Patrol are operating as before, while the rest of DHS is shuttered, though even before last week’s late dramatics in Congress, President TrumpDHS to pay the TSA workers whose absence from work was beginning to paralyze airports across the country. It’s unclear whether that is legal; even if it is, itgiven its temporary nature and the frustration of TSA agents with the uncertainty of their job status. So DHS remains a real mess; Congress isn’t around to do anything about it; and the White House is a bit preoccupied with an unpopular war in the Middle East. So why did this happen? Had Johnson chosen to do so, passing the Senate bill reopening DHS would have easily cleared the House with virtually every Democrat voting for it, giving Republicans a free vote to either address the crisis at airports and head off potential crises involving other DHS functions or preen and posture about the crucial need to stuff even more money into hungry mouths of ICE and the Border Patrol. The GOP would have emerged from the DHS shutdown having given up nothing on immigration enforcement, a battle it could continue to fight for the rest of the year , crossing them would definitely reduce the already difficult odds Johnson would face in maintaining his position as party leader if Republicans lose control of the House in November, which appears increasingly likely.’s Senate Republicans will damage an already vulnerable GOP by making its responsibility for the DHS shutdown unmistakable. If Trump’s TSA payment ploy doesn’t work as intended and chaos at airports continues, or if there is a terrorist attack or natural disaster for which the shuttered portions of DHS are responsible, House Republicans could yet be forced to reverse themselves. Democrats are already organizing ato force a vote on the Senate-passed bill reopening DHS, with only a few dissident Republicans needed to pass it. And more generally, the situation shows how rudderless Republicans are when Trump isn’t issuing clear orders, as Punchbowl News This episode illustrates how adrift the GOP-run Congress is when Trump remains on the sidelines. Trump was completely silent about the Senate’s proposal, although his staff was telling lawmakers he approved. When it became clear that the House would reject it, Trump sided with them. … ow the House Republican Conference has ownership of the impasse. Johnson’s rejection of Thune’s approach ensures that the next two weeks will be all about how GOP infighting is prolonging the shutdown. But without Trump having his back, no one should be surprised that Mike Johnson chose self-preservation over the broader needs of his party or his country. He can’t keep his gavel without HFC support, so he might as well embrace his imprisonment by championing a hard line on immigration enforcement and everything else the hard right demands.The U.S. Army was investigating why an Apache helicopter was hovering outside Kid Rock’s White House–style home in Tennessee.March has been a bad month for the president in the polls with his Iran war and its economic effects having a clear impact on his popularity.The president said he’s “so busy” fighting wars. But that didn’t stop him from breaking out the props to defend his precious ballroom.As thousands of troops deploy to the region, the Pentagon is reportedly preparing for weeks of ground operations. Here’s what we know.Wait times appeared to be easing at U.S. airports on Monday with workers set to receive their first paychecks since the DHS shutdown began weeks ago.With 36 states holding gubernatorial elections in November, there’s a good chance a midterms Democratic wave could hit down-ballot too.He’ll probably never admit it was his mistake, but if he wants to pin it on others, here’s who he might pick.The U.S. treasurer said this unprecedented honor is “well deserved” because Trump has led us into a “golden age economic revival.”The Senate has agreed to end the airport chaos and put off the ICE fight. But Trump could still change his mind, and House GOP hard-liners may revolt.Rex Heuermann, who was arrested in 2023, is expected to admit to the seven murders he has been charged with during a court appearance next month.A new poll shows Platner leading Governor Janet Mills by 27 points, a sign that the oyster farmer is still in firm control of the Maine primary.With the SAVE America Act stalled in Congress, some red states are pushing their own redundant bans on noncitizen voting.The UFC is holding a cage match to celebrate America’s 250th birthday . Here’s what we know about plans, tickets, and the fight card.*Sorry, there was a problem signing you up.
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Mike Lee demands Congress ends recess early as DHS shutdown becomes longest in historyCami Mondeaux is the congressional correspondent for the Deseret News covering both the House and Senate. She’s reported on Capitol Hill for over two years covering the latest developments on national news while also diving into the policy issues that directly impact her home state of Utah.
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