House Republicans fume as Senate passes DHS funding bill to end partial shutdown

The bipartisan deadlock over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unleashed chaos in American airports and even prompted President Donald Trump to send in ICE agents at terminals. In a positive development regarding the partial government shutdown, the Senate passed a DHS funding bill in the early hours of Friday, keeping ICE and CBP out of its purview. However, the maneuver has drawn sharp condemnation from Representative Keith Self (R-TX) and other House Republicans.

Taking to social media, Keith Self voiced surprise at the move and claimed that the bill was passed with only five Senators on the floor in the dead of the night. He also blamed Senate Republicans for giving in to the demands of the Democrats. Self believes that Senate Republicans have given the Democrats exactly what they wanted and more. "In the dead of night, with only five senators present on the floor and no one there to object, the Senate rushed through a DHS funding bill that deliberately left ICE and CBP unfunded. Now, they are leaving town. No SAVE America Act. ICE and CBP unfunded. Senate Republicans just gave the Democrats everything they wanted and more," he wrote on X.

As per a report in USA Today, the bill's passing in the Senate represented a split between Senate and House Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson held a call with GOP lawmakers and denounced the move not to fund ICE and CBP. "This gambit that was done last night is a joke," he said. He also claimed that he spoke to President Trump, who does not want the bill to be passed. Several House Republicans have expressed similar sentiments. "We can't believe that the Senate abdicated its responsibility this morning," Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland, said. "This deal is bad for America. It's bad for Americans. The president has already said he's going to fund TSA out of funds he has. So it's not going to affect the airports if we don't do this today."

The USA Today report also claimed that Johnson could pass the stopgap measure – also known as a "continuing resolution," or CR, which would see Senators return to Capitol Hill. However, the Senate will now be on a two-week spring recess, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said that anything apart from what the Democrats have already agreed would have no chance in the Senate. "A 60-day CR that locks in the status quo is dead on arrival in the Senate," he said in a statement. "And Republicans know it."