House lawmakers passed Homeland Security funding by voice vote Thursday, which should end the partial shutdown that's become the longest in U.S. history.
Why it matters: If the House had waited for the Senate to pass a reconciliation bill, as some GOP lawmakers insisted, it would have left DHS closed until mid-May.
Zoom in: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) agreed to a two-track funding deal in early April.
- First they'd pass funding through regular appropriations for all of DHS but ICE and Border Patrol, which are already funded by the "Big, Beautiful Bill" from 2025.
- Then they'd pass a party-line bill via budget reconciliation to add funding to ICE and Border Patrol.
Between the lines: House lawmakers revolted over passing DHS funding without funding for ICE and Border Patrol.
- Some members saw that as defunding law enforcement, Axios previously reported.
What's next: The House passed a budget resolution on Wednesday night, starting the process to provide billions in new funding for immigration enforcement.
