House GOP leaders push DHS funding bill through May

Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to build Republican support for a short-term bill that would fund all Department of Homeland Security operations through May 22, after the Senate passed a deal overnight that left out money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and some dollars for Customs and Border Protection.

The Louisiana Republican shared the plan on a House GOP Conference call shortly after noon Friday, honoring a commitment he made to members of the House Freedom Caucus earlier in the day that he would pursue a path out of the extended DHS shutdown that didn't involve punting on funding for immigration enforcement activities.

There is no guarantee this plan will have support in the House, where GOP centrists are already balking at the proposal, according to four people granted anonymity to share their direct knowledge of the trajectory of negotiations Friday afternoon.

It's also highly unlikely this gambit would pass in the Senate, which has already left town for a two-week recess. Republicans would need to rely on the other chamber approving the measure through a unanimous consent agreement — and Senate Democrats are warning they'll reject it.

"A 60 day CR that locks in the status quo is dead on arrival in the Senate, and Republicans know it," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement Friday afternoon. "We’ve been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical Homeland Security functions — but we will not give a blank check to Trump’s lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms."

But the House Rules Committee is expected to meet Friday evening to tee up a process for voting on a eight-week DHS stopgap, with the expectation GOP leaders will schedule a vote on final passage for Saturday.