Senate GOP unveils $70B immigration plan to circumvent Democrats in bid to end DHS shutdown

Originally Published: 21 APR 26 12:52 ET

By Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — Senate GOP leaders formally declared Tuesday that they will attempt to circumvent Democrats in the months-long stalemate over Department of Homeland Security funding and deliver as much as $70 billion for immigration enforcement on their own.

After months of failing to resolve the DHS shutdown, Republicans are now planning to reopen the government without the contentious Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border patrol funding that Democrats have refused to back. The new proposed funding would ensure the agencies are funded through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term — eliminating the need to negotiate with Democrats, who could take back control of at least one chamber after November’s elections

GOP leaders in the House and Senate will use a complex budgetary maneuver to pass the controversial immigration funding without Democratic votes.

They unveiled the first step of that process — the text of a Senate budget resolution — Tuesday morning. That tees up a Senate vote on the measure later this week. If successful, the House plans to take it up quickly after.

But it’s not a guaranteed win. Passing legislation in this manner, known as reconciliation, is an arduous process, requiring the cooperation of nearly every Republican in both chambers to proceed.

And Republicans are under pressure to move quickly: House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled Tuesday that he would not pass any partial DHS funding package until it is clear that ICE and border patrol will not be left unfunded. (It’s a stark difference from the approach of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who advanced a partial funding bill several weeks ago, causing an uproar among the GOP.)

“The sequencing is important. We’ve got to make sure that we don’t isolate and as I say, ‘orphan’ key agencies of the department,” Johnson said, referring to ICE and border patrol. “And there’s some concern on our side that if you do the bulk of the department first before that and they could be left out.”

When the Senate officially puts its budget resolution on the floor, it will tee up a likely all-night session for senators, known as a “vote-a-rama.” That could happen later this week.

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