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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been unfunded for 59 days.  On April 1, President Trump asked Congress for a reconciliation bill by June 1 to fund ICE and CBP, implying support for the Senate-passed Homeland Security appropriations bill. House GOP leaders had resisted voting on that bill before recess.

Senate Majority Leader Thune and House Speaker Johnson plan to fund DHS via both bipartisan appropriations and partisan reconciliation. Democrats back the Senate bill and seek immigration enforcement reforms, while Republicans favor the reconciliation bill, which few Democrats will support. Procedurally, the Senate repassed its partial DHS funding on April 2, but House Republicans are waiting for reconciliation progress before voting. This delay could stall DHS funding for months. President Trump’s April 3 Executive Order ensured DHS employees were paid, reducing urgency for immediate legislative action.

While Congress has used reconciliation to fund programs beyond bipartisan agreement, relying on this process for annual appropriations undermines its constitutional spending authority and weakens the balance between branches.