House Freedom Caucus rejects Senate DHS bill, says ‘no’ to deal without immigration funding
WASHINGTON, DC: The House Freedom Caucus on Friday, March 27, has voiced strong opposition to a Senate-passed funding package for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), raising uncertainty about the bill’s prospects in the House.
The measure, approved in a late-night Senate session, funds several DHS agencies but excludes immigration enforcement divisions.
Conservative lawmakers are now pushing for revisions before the legislation can move forward. The standoff adds to ongoing challenges in resolving the partial DHS funding lapse.
Freedom Caucus demands changes to DHS funding bill
Members of the Freedom Caucus said they would not support the current version of the bill, calling for the inclusion of funding for immigration enforcement agencies and additional policy provisions.
Specifically, lawmakers want funding restored for the US Border Patrol and for divisions within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including units focused on combating child abuse.
“We can’t believe that the Senate abdicated its responsibility this morning of not funding the child s*x tr*fficking division of ICE, that they don’t didn’t fund the Border Patrol. I guess the Democrats want a wide open border,” said Rep Andy Harris, chair of the caucus. He added, “The only thing we’re going to support is adding that funding into the bill, adding voter ID, sending it back to the Senate, make them come back in and do their work. The bottom line is, this deal is bad for America.”
Other members echoed similar concerns, arguing that the Senate bill fails to address key immigration enforcement priorities.
Rep Chip Roy described the measure as inadequate, saying it was “offensive” that the Senate would pass a bill without funding immigration enforcement. “Could the Senate be any more lazy than to send to us a bill that doesn't do the job and then leave town,” he said. “We're going to stand up and say no to that.”
Lawmakers also emphasized the need to include a voter identification provision as part of any revised package. The caucus signaled that it remains unified in its opposition unless these changes are incorporated.
Procedural hurdles mount as House considers next steps
The opposition from the Freedom Caucus complicates efforts by House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the Senate-passed bill to the House floor quickly.
One potential path, passing the legislation under a suspension of the rules process, would require unanimous consent to advance, a move caucus members have indicated they would block.
House rules limit the suspension process to certain days, further narrowing the window for swift action.
Another option involves bringing the bill through the Rules Committee with same-day authority, which would require a two-thirds majority vote in the House. It remains unclear whether Democrats would support such a move, making this path uncertain as well.
Following public remarks, Freedom Caucus members met with Johnson to discuss the legislation. Emerging from the meeting, Roy said there had been “good conversations” but confirmed that their position remained unchanged. “We’ll see what happens, but we’re not going to move the Senate bill today,” he said.
The Senate-approved measure funds several DHS agencies but excludes ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection, reflecting a compromise reached after weeks of negotiations.
