Trump Rejects Senate GOP Plan to Reopen DHS Without ICE Funding

President Donald Trump has rejected a compromise proposal from Senate Republicans that aimed to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without immediately funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“An attempt by Senate GOP leaders to reopen the Department of Homeland Security while punting on immigration enforcement funding blew up within hours, after President Donald Trump issued an angry rejection of the proposal Sunday night”

CQ Politics

This rejection deepens a month-long partial government shutdown that is causing significant disruptions at airports nationwide.

CQ Politics

The rejection came after Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) discussed a potential solution with Trump that would provide resources for all DHS components except ICE.

Democrats have resisted ICE funding without new restrictions on immigration enforcement following two fatal shootings by ICE agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

White House aides first briefed Trump on the plan before Thune spoke with the president by phone, but the proposal was quickly dismissed.

Trump has instead linked DHS funding to his signature election bill, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.

Thune's proposal involved splitting DHS funding to immediately reopen critical agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The plan would delay ICE funding until a separate bipartisan deal could be reached.

EURweb

It would have allowed Republicans to provide ICE funding through a second filibuster-proof reconciliation bill, enabling more partisan policies without requiring difficult votes from Democrats.

This approach was seen by some Senate Republicans as a viable way to break the current funding deadlock.

However, the plan ultimately failed to gain traction with either the White House or Democratic leadership.

Democrats have been seeking more substantial restrictions on ICE operations following recent controversies.

Trump firmly rejected the compromise in a Truth Social post, declaring that he doesn't think Republicans should make any deals with Democrats.

“ByiHeartRadio March 23, 2026 PresidentDonald Trumprejected a potential compromise to end a partial government shutdown crippling the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) and ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to deploy to U”

iHeartRadio

He insisted that Democrats must vote to pass the SAVE America Act, his controversial voter identification bill.

The president characterized Democrats as 'Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats' in his rejection.

Trump threatened to identify and target Republicans who vote against his agenda.

He also threatened to replace TSA officers with ICE agents if Congress does not reach an agreement to reopen DHS.

In a Monday speech in Memphis, Trump reiterated his demand that Republicans should not go home for Easter recess until the SAVE Act reaches his desk.

He told them 'make this one for Jesus' in reference to staying in Washington for the holiday.

The ongoing DHS shutdown is having severe consequences for TSA workers and airport operations across the country.

Nearly 12 percent of the TSA security workforce called out of work on Saturday alone, according to the agency.

The New Republic

Houston's two main airports had the nation's highest callout rates at over 40 percent each.

More than 400 TSA officers have submitted resignations since the shutdown began.

These staffing shortages are causing long wait lines at airports nationwide.

The situation is particularly concerning as the country heads into spring break travel season.

Despite these challenges, Trump has suggested sending ICE agents to airports as a solution rather than compromising with Democrats.

The political dynamics surrounding the shutdown have become increasingly complex.

“Donald Trump has claimed that Democrats are responsible for the long lines at airports, but the president just rejected a deal that would fund the Transportation Security Administration”

The New Republic

Both parties are attempting to shift blame for the ongoing airport disruptions.

USA Today

Democratic sources point to polling showing more Americans blaming Republicans for airport problems than Democrats.

This is counterintuitive since Democrats initiated the shutdown.

Democrats are blaming Republicans for the airport security issues while offering to fund TSA specifically.

President Trump sees the solution as deploying ICE agents to airports rather than compromising.

In a counterintuitive development, the TSA lines are actually making it more difficult to reach a solution.

Thune has described Trump's push to link DHS funding to the SAVE Act as 'a wrinkle.'

With the shutdown continuing into its second month and Easter recess approaching, lawmakers face mounting pressure to find a resolution.

Thune has threatened to cancel the two-week recess slated to begin Friday if no DHS deal is reached by then.

He indicated on Monday that this threat remains conditional.

Both sides have been working to schedule a meeting after failed attempts on Saturday and Monday.

The political stakes are high, as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss potentially a month of paychecks by the end of this week.

Senator John Kennedy emphasized the potential solution, saying 'We can be out of this shutdown by the end of the week.'

Concrete plans remain elusive as Trump continues to insist on linking DHS funding to his controversial voter ID legislation.