The House broke a 76-day impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, approving a Senate-backed spending bill to reopen most of the agency after weeks of stalemate.
Lawmakers in the lower chamber cleared the measure after Speaker Mike Johnson reversed course and allowed a vote on the Senate’s plan, which funds large portions of DHS through September. The bill had been sitting idle for more than a month as Johnson held it back over concerns it would undercut law enforcement priorities.
Those objections echoed broader frustration among Republicans, many of whom had effectively written off the legislation after it sailed through the Senate unanimously in March.
The turnaround came after signals from the White House supporting the Senate version and pushing for quick passage, prompting Johnson to drop his opposition and move the bill forward.
“I just got off the phone with the president, OK? I met with Leader Thune two hours ago. He knows exactly what we’re doing,” Johnson told CNN’s Manu Raju in a video posted to X. “We’re all working on the same team. We’ll get the job done.”
Johnson acknowledged lingering concerns about specific provisions but made clear he was aligning with the administration, saying, “I’m not defying the White House.”
The funding fight had put pressure on DHS operations for weeks. The Trump administration had been relying on existing funds since early April to cover back pay and keep employees on the job, but officials warned that those resources were running thin.
The bill approved Thursday does not cover immigration enforcement agencies. Instead, it funds other DHS components, including the Transportation Security Administration, Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Republicans are now working on a separate, party-line package aimed at boosting funding for immigration enforcement, with a focus on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
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