GOP infighting replaces clash with Dems, derails path to end historic DHS shutdown
Congress is in no rush to end the longest shutdown in history, despite having a deal in place and a backup plan that could both fund the Department of Homeland...
By Fox News · Fox News
Congress is in no rush to end the longest shutdown in history, despite having a deal in place and a backup plan that could both fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and secure cash for immigration operations for years to come. Lawmakers in both chambers left Washington for a two-week recess around Easter and are not scheduled to return until Monday. Meanwhile, Republicans have pitched rival plans that, if not quickly resolved, could prolong the funding standoff into the summer. After nearly two months of fighting with congressional Democrats, the shutdown back and forth has now evolved into infighting among the GOP across both chambers. That development, and differing views on how to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, threaten to prolong the shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said shortly after the Senate again passed its Department of Homeland Security funding bill in early April that there are "limited options" for ending the shutdown, given Senate Democrats’ blockade against funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without stringent reforms. GOP RACES TO PASS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING BILL AS PRIORITIES PILE UP, DIVISIONS EMERGE "My question for anybody who doesn't like what we did is: give me a better idea. Give me another option," Thune said. "We’ll see, ultimately, what the House does with it." When the House returns Tuesday, the shutdown will have reached 59 days. The Senate has its spending bill, which would fund the Department of Homeland Security while carving out funding for ICE and parts of CBP, with the end goal of funding immigration enforcement through the party-line budget reconciliation process. 'WE DIDN'T CAVE': THUNE HIGHLIGHTS SCHUMER, DEMS' LOSSES IN DHS FUNDING DEAL House Republicans previously rejected that plan. But after President Donald Trump demanded a reconciliation package with ICE and CBP funding on his desk by June 1, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-L…