Nine days ago, Senate Republicans had a plan to short-circuit Schumer Shutdown II: Immigration Boogaloo, and it seemed nearly flawless. They even got Donald Trump’s support for the plan, which would fund all of DHS except for ICE and Border Patrol, which have $75 billion in separate funding from last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill. That would end Chuck Schumer’s attempts to hold TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard hostage over immigration enforcement, while Republicans could add an even bigger funding package in new reconcilation package.
Six days ago, it worked. Senate Dems ran for the exits as the White House-endorsed funding bill passed on unanimous consent. A quick vote in the House would end Schumer’s extortion attempt on ICE, and Republicans could hammer out a reconciliation package that could also include parts of the SAVE America Act.
And that’s when House Republicans snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. They went to the microphones to excoriate John Thune and Senate Republicans for bypassing ICE in the appropriations process, refused to take up the bill that the Senate passed, and extended Chuck Schumer’s shutdown for nearly another week. House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to organize an alternative, but in the meantime, nothing moved.
Late last night, it was the turn of House Republicans to engage in some towel-tossing. Johnson and Thune announced an “agreement” to pursue the same strategy that Thune and Trump had gift-wrapped last week, and the Senate passed it on unanimous consent … again:
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill to partially reopen the Department of Homeland Security, a step toward ending the longest-ever partial government shutdown.
The measure now goes back to the House, which last week declined to take it up in favor of a different funding bill.
House Republican leaders are expected to consider the measure this time, after reaching an agreement with Senate Majority Leader John Thune to pursue a larger bill this spring that will include spending for the president’s immigration and border agenda.
Trump himself had to perform Truth Social CPR to get House Republicans back on side for this plan. He apparently intervened to push the Senate bill back through for a new vote overnight, announcing his firm support for this approach earlier in the day:
Unlike Republicans, Democrats want to DEFUND the Police, Border Patrol, and all Immigration Enforcement. They want to allow Criminals, the Mentally Insane, and Lunatics from all over the World to come into our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, putting Americans in serious danger.
That’s why we are going forward to fund our incredible ICE Agents and Border Patrol through a process that doesn’t need Radical Left Democrat votes, and bypasses the Senate Filibuster (which should be repealed, IMMEDIATELY!), working in close conjunction with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Leader John Thune. We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us. We will not allow them to hurt the families of these Great Patriots by defunding them. I am asking that the Bill be on my desk NO LATER than June 1st. Our Law Enforcement Officers and the American People should not have to wait until the Democrats see reason or, learn the hard way through the Polls. Hopefully, everyone will be voting REPUBLICAN for the Midterms. Through simple unification, Republicans can do this without the Democrats!
The message here seems pretty clear: Take the win, prepare for the next one. The original strategy forced Democrats to abandon any demands for changes to immigration enforcement, especially the most disastrous “reform” of requiring judicial warrants for detention, which would have made immigration enforcement all but impossible. It rescues TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard from being Chuck Schumer’s hostages, and the reconciliation approach will allow the GOP to protect immigration enforcement for the rest of Trump’s term no matter what happens in the midterms.
The Senate has now done its job twice. Maybe it’s time for House Republicans to do it once, and quit attempting to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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