House approves $70 billion immigration enforcement budget blueprint, ending DHS shutdown
Primary region US
Tags Policy · Political economy
Regions US
The House voted 215-211 on party lines on April 29, 2026, to adopt a Senate-backed budget resolution unlocking approximately $70 billion for immigration enforcement (ICE and CBP) through the remainder of Trump's term via reconciliation, a filibuster-proof process. The vote was held open for over five hours as Speaker Mike Johnson negotiated with GOP holdouts demanding a separate ethanol fuel blend vote. On April 30, the House passed a bipartisan continuing resolution funding the rest of DHS through May 22, ending the partial shutdown that began February 14 — the longest DHS shutdown in US history at 72+ days. The shutdown was triggered after two US citizens were fatally shot by federal agents during immigration protests in Minneapolis; Democrats had demanded guardrails on enforcement. A separate reconciled bill for the $70 billion must pass both chambers by Trump's June 1 deadline.
Strategic interpretation
Republicans used reconciliation to bypass Democrats entirely on immigration funding, the same procedure used in 2025 to pass ~$130 billion for ICE/CBP. The five-hour vote delay exposes Johnson's thin margin and vulnerability to single-issue holdouts, foreshadowing difficulties in passing the actual $70 billion reconciliation bill by June. The two-track strategy — bipartisan DHS funding plus partisan immigration enforcement — effectively gives Trump his enforcement budget while appearing to end the shutdown. This institutional innovation could become the template for future must-pass spending fights.