House Republicans rejected the Senate’s Department of Homeland Security funding proposal on Friday, indicating they would not advance it, as the government continues to face turmoil ahead of a two-week recess.
Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference, described the Senate’s offering as “garbage” and confirmed that House members would not support it. Instead, she stated they would unveil an alternative during a conference call on Friday.
This backlash from the House follows over 40 days of Senate stalemate, where Democrats have consistently blocked complete DHS funding while requesting changes related to immigration enforcement, particularly concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Early Friday, the Senate passed a stopgap measure to fund much of DHS, which notably did not include full support for ICE or segments of Customs and Border Protection.
House GOP leaders expressed that the Senate plan still fails to meet the House’s criteria for a comprehensive funding approach.
“We’ve consistently stated that our goal is to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security,” stated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. “We passed a bill yesterday aimed at that, while the Senate moved forward with a different proposal that doesn’t align with our goals.”
Other Republican members were more straightforward, condemning the Senate for presenting what they considered an inadequate arrangement and then departing for vacation.
“What the Senate delivered was a dismal offer, all the more frustrating given their decision to leave town immediately,” Rep. Brandon Gill remarked in a text.
Fox confirms that the House Republican leadership is proposing a two-month, clean extension of all funding for DHS, including ICE. This is NOT what all 100 senators agreed to last night. If the House were to adopt this plan, they’d have to do it with GOP votes. Many House…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) March 27, 2026
The House Freedom Caucus voiced their concerns, emphasizing that the Senate deal neglects crucial enforcement mechanisms that are vital for maintaining border security and deportation operations, central themes in President Trump’s agenda.
“It’s deeply offensive to our constituents that the Senate would propose a bill void of border control funding and ICE’s essential functions,” asserted Rep. Chip Roy.
“Can the Senate be any more negligent than to send us a measure that fails to fulfill its obligations and leave town? We intend to reject that and propose a responsible bill instead,” Roy continued.
The Senate bill is a non-starter. We’ll send something back to stand with @CBP & @ICEgov – perhaps other important provisions. But we’re not accepting the garbage from the Senate. pic.twitter.com/2upBegzJVy
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) March 27, 2026
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Rep. Byron Donalds criticized the Senate’s proposal, calling it “nuts,” and highlighted that the political repercussions are not affecting the senators the same way everyday travelers are facing long TSA lines.
“If senators return via their private jets, so be it. Most of them bypass TSA,” he pointed out.
Conversely, Democrats have expressed readiness to accept the Senate’s proposal as a means to reopen significant portions of DHS, despite their ongoing opposition to increased ICE funding. Rep. Nanette Barragán noted, “Hopefully, it’s just noise,” and added, “I cannot support ICE funding given their current conduct.”
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed that House and Senate Democrats are unified behind the Senate package, placing the blame on Republicans for prolonging the shutdown.
As the Senate heads into recess and the House stands firm against a proposal that sidelines ICE and border security operations, the next battle will revolve around the definition of what it means to “fully fund DHS” and the political consequences that may follow.
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