Republican leaders announce two-track plan to end the DHS shutdown

BREAKING NEWS Apr. 1, 2026, 7:35 PM UTC Government Shutdown Republican leaders announce two-track plan to end the DHS shutdown The proposal still needs to pass Congress. It's unclear when votes will take place, while members are outside of Washington for a two-week Passover and Easter recess. Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., at the U.S. Capitol last year. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file Share Add NBC News to Google By Sahil Kapur and Kyle Stewart WASHINGTON — House and Senate Republican leaders jointly announced a plan Wednesday they said would end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that caused major airport delays . Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. “In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the President’s directive by fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement . The two leaders were vague about the exact plan, but it appears to closely resemble the Senate's preferred path from Friday. Add NBC News to Google TMZ dives into Capitol Hill coverage with pictures of lawmakers on vacation 05:30 Johnson and Thune heavily implied that it would be for the Senate to, once again, pass a bill it approved unanimously last week, a move that could be attempted as early as Thursday. It would fund all of DHS except ICE and Customs and Border Protection, which Democrats won't agree to fund without reforms to immigration enforcement operations. Those two agencies already have separate funding. House Republican leaders trashed that bill and rejected it Friday, but now appear ready to back down and accept the Senate plan. T...