Johnson, Thune Unveil 2-Step Plan to End Shutdown

Republican leaders say they've found an off-ramp from the Homeland Security shutdown — now they just have to get their own party to take it. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson rolled out a two-step strategy: first, pass a partial funding bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, minus funding for ICE and Border Patrol, then move a second, much larger "megabill" using the Senate's reconciliation rules, which sidestep the filibuster and shut Democrats out of the vote, CNN reports. The plan closely tracks a new demand from President Trump, who said in a Truth Social post Wednesday that he wants the second bill on his desk by June 1 at the latest.

The catch: the Senate could move on the partial DHS measure as soon as Thursday, but House Republicans still dislike it and have not said when—or if—they will go along. Many conservatives are wary of reopening DHS without guarantees on immigration enforcement cash and fear setting a precedent that lets Democrats slice off parts of agencies they oppose. Thune and Johnson's joint statement effectively concedes DHS will reopen in stages, something Senate Republicans already accepted and House hardliners previously rejected, reports CNN. The longest-ever partial government shutdown is now in its 47th day,

• Johnson and Thune's statement downplayed House-Senate divisions and blamed Democrats for not accepting the stopgap 60-day measure the House passed after it rejected a partial funding measure that passed the Senate unanimously, the Hill reports. They said it "is now abundantly clear that Democrats place allegiance to their radical left-wing base above all else—including their own power of the purse—which means open borders and protecting criminal illegal aliens."
• Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said Republicans had "caved" with Wednesday's announcement. Mike Johnson and House Republicans have come to realize that we will never bend the knee," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. "It's time to pay TSA agents, end the airport chaos and fully fund every part of the Department of Homeland Security that does not relate to Donald Trump's violent mass deportation machine."

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