Republicans fear succession of government shutdowns under Trump

Source: The Hill

04/22/26 6:00 AM ET


Senate Republicans who are scrambling to end the two-month shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fear that Democrats will trigger an even bigger government shutdown in October and are working out strategies to avert that politically disastrous scenario.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) plans to pass a budget resolution through the Senate this week that would serve as a blueprint for a budget reconciliation bill Republicans are aiming to pass later this spring. That measure would bypass a Senate Democratic filibuster to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through 2029.

But there’s growing concern among GOP senators that even if Congress funds ICE and Border Patrol for the next 3 1/2 years, Democrats will provoke a fight in September to trigger yet another government shutdown. The current shutdown of DHS is the longest in history, breaking the record set last fall when the government was shut down for 43 days over Democrats’ demands to extend health care subsidies.

Republicans say they’re worried the regular government funding process has become irreparably broken after two bruising funding standoffs during President Trump’s second term.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5842129-republicans-government-shutdowns-democrats-trump/