Johnson scrambles as Trump, Senate Republicans pressure House to fund DHS

By Fox News · Fox News

Congressional Republicans entered the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown united — 75 days later, and they are increasingly at odds over how to end it. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is now floating a change to the Senate’s DHS bill funding most of the department after declining to put the measure on the floor for more than a month. The new demand comes as the department’s vital security role was spotlighted on Saturday when the Secret Service stopped a gunman from storming the ballroom where he allegedly planned to assassinate President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet. The Secret Service is among several agencies under the DHS umbrella that are currently operating without full-year funding. The assassination scare notably spurred Trump to demand that DHS funding, and the forthcoming budget reconciliation process, be wrapped up soon. DEMOCRAT WHO BROKE WITH PARTY SAYS HIS DHS FUNDING VOTE A 'MISTAKE' AFTER 2ND MINNEAPOLIS ICE SHOOTING Now, Johnson’s new tactic is to modify the Senate bill, which he claims "has some problematic language because it was haphazardly drafted." "We have a modified version that I think is going to be much better for both chambers," Johnson told reporters on Monday. "It makes sure that we’re not going to orphan two of the primary agencies of DHS," he added. "We have to make sure that immigration law is enforced and that the border is safe and secure. Democrats don’t want to have any part of that, so unfortunately, we have to do that on our own." But the White House, in a memo to House Republicans obtained by Fox News Digital, demanded that Johnson pass the Senate's bill as-is, and warned that unless the House took action, the remaining DHS funding would soon dry up. "It is imperative that Congress immediately fund DHS and its critical operations to protect the homeland," the memo stated. The Senate bill and a separate budget reconciliation bill funding immigration enforcement are part of a two-track a…