House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Wednesday they will advance a plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security while excluding ICE and CBP, which would be addressed in a later reconciliation bill. The announcement marks a dramatic reversal from just five days ago when House Republicans rejected this exact approach.
The Republican leadership's new position mirrors the Senate bill that passed with unanimous consent last Friday. Johnson had previously called that Senate bill a "joke" and vowed Republicans would not support excluding ICE and CBP funding from the appropriations package.