House Republicans oppose Senate-passed DHS bill, split funding vote

WASHINGTON – Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told House Republicans on a conference call Friday that he plans to hold off on a vote on a bill to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security for 60 days, according to a source on the call.

Johnson’s comments indicate that the House has no intention, at least for now, of voting on the Senate-passed bill to fund all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

The Senate left town for a two-week recess after passing the bill by unanimous consent early Friday morning, and Democratic caucuses vowed to block funding for ICE and CBP without curbing immigration enforcement operations. That means Johnson’s proposal jeopardizes the Senate’s efforts to fund the Transportation Security Administration and end major delays at airports.

The timing of the House vote is still up in the air. Johnson hasn’t made it official yet. Trump has yet to publicly introduce the Senate bill, but he could influence the House plans.

Johnson’s plan comes as House conservatives expressed dismay at the Senate bill and vowed to vote against it, complicating any move to quickly pass it in the House.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said the senators balked at agreeing to leave money for ICE and CPB.

“I mean, they have a holiday coming up, they’re ready to get out of town. They’re not in charge of any law,” he said of the Senate. “If this is just a ruse to get them home for dad-gum’s vacation, then, no, I’d say let’s stay here and work.”

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, joined other right-wing hardliners in demanding that the Senate-passed DHS bill be amended to add ICE funding and voter ID provisions.

“The Senate acted cowardly last night,” Self said. “They passed this five-member bill through the UC and ran away like rats.”

Rep. Ralph Norman, RS.C., said the Senate-passed bill is “irresponsible” and added that voter identification provisions and ICE funding components should be included.

“Those two things will have to be in the middle,” Norman said.

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., warned that a House bill funding ICE and CBP without patrols would go nowhere in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes.

“We’ve been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical national security jobs — but we won’t hand over a blank check to Trump’s lawless and deadly military without reform,” Schumer said. “The 60-day CR that shuts down the status quo is dead on arrival in the Senate, and Republicans know it.”

Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., said Democrats will not support a bill to fund ICE without restrictions on ICE after immigration enforcement agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis.

“I think we’ve made it clear, and the American public wants some kind of oversight in an institution that has attacked communities across the country, resulting in the deaths of two American citizens,” he said. “Shine some light on how ICE has been doing it.”

Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate Democrat from New York, said Americans are “sick” of going back and forth on funding the government.

“They are sick of politics. They don’t want this, finger-pointing. They don’t want to play this game, this blame game,” he said. “They want us to do the work, get the deal and get the job done.”