Republican leaders in the House and Senate have reached an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), averting a potential shutdown. The plan will fund most of DHS operations and includes a three-year funding commitment for immigration enforcement and border security.

Agreement Details and Background

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., announced the agreement on Wednesday, October 7, 2025. This comes after a record 47-day funding lapse and a previous attempt by House Republicans to pass a short-term funding bill that faced opposition in the Senate.

Joint Statement from GOP Leadership

Thune and Johnson stated in a joint statement that the House will take up a measure previously passed by the Senate. This measure funds most of DHS, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, through the end of September. They emphasized the plan will “fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years.”

Previous Standoff and Trump's Involvement

The agreement represents a shift from nearly a week prior, when House Republicans dismissed an identical plan. Speaker Johnson had previously called the initial agreement a “joke,” and former President Trump initially declined to publicly endorse the deal.

However, Trump later signaled support on social media, stating his desire for a party-line bill to fund immigration enforcement by June 1. He wrote, “We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents.”

Democratic Response and Concerns

Democrats welcomed the agreement as aligning with their stance against providing additional funding to ICE without reforms, particularly following incidents involving immigration enforcement agents. However, the deal does not include policy demands sought by Democrats, such as a ban on masks for enforcement officers and requirements for judicial warrants for home entries.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the Republican divisions that initially delayed a bipartisan agreement. He stated, “For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction.”

Potential Obstacles Remain

Despite the agreement, potential obstacles remain. Some hard-line conservatives, like Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., oppose the deal, arguing it does not fully fund DHS and effectively “defunds Law Enforcement.” Congress is currently on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could vote on the measure as early as Thursday using a unanimous consent procedure.

ICE has been minimally impacted by the funding lapse, as Republican lawmakers previously approved $75 billion for the agency through a separate budget reconciliation bill.