By Siobhan Hughes, Olivia Beavers and Natalie Andrews

WASHINGTON -- President Trump said Republicans should use a special Senate process to pass billions of dollars in funding for immigration enforcement and bypass a Democratic blockade, looking to resolve a standoff between GOP leaders that put intra-part divisions on display.

Trump said on social media that he had been in touch with GOP leaders and that he set a goal of June 1 for completing the process, known as budget reconciliation. The maneuver requires a simple majority for budget-focused bills, rather than the 60 votes typically required in the Senate, which Republicans control 53-47.

Trump's remarks appeared to endorse a two-part plan put forward by Senate Republicans last week. In the predawn hours Friday morning, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) pushed through a bill with Democratic support that would fund all of the Department of Homeland Security except for immigration-enforcement operations, intending to then move a subsequent GOP bill for those agencies.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

House Republicans went ballistic when they woke up Friday and learned that Thune had passed the fiscal 2026 DHS funding bill that zeroed out Immigration and Customs Enforcement's entire $10 billion budget for the year and $6 billion for the border operations provided through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

GOP lawmakers, who control the House, refused to go along with the Senate bill and instead passed an alternative to extend DHS funding for about two months so they would have more time to negotiate with Democrats. DHS also covers other entities such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Both chambers then left Washington for a two-week break, prompting some House and Senate Republicans to complain publicly that Congress should return to work to pass DHS funding, with some lawmakers and activists taking shots at Thune directly.

"The Senate needs new leadership," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R., Tenn.) on Fox News.

Other lawmakers got singled out for criticism. TMZ, the celebrity gossip site, published photos of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) riding Space Mountain and holding a wand at Disney World after leaving Washington.

Immigration "civilian and support staff are not getting paid," said Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas). "The Senate's response? Let's go to Disney World!" Graham, who said he had been in Florida for an official meeting and then met up with friends, later posted a photo of himself shooting skeet.

Some Senate Republicans said that a two-part plan was the only thing that would work, given Democrats' objections.

"Let's fund everything they'll go along with," said Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) on his podcast. "But I'm not saying surrender -- and in fact, I'm saying let's go on offense" by then passing a GOP-only reconciliation bill funding immigration enforcement for years into the future.

Write to Siobhan Hughes at Siobhan.hughes@wsj.com, Olivia Beavers at Olivia.Beavers@wsj.com and Natalie Andrews at natalie.andrews@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 01, 2026 14:18 ET (18:18 GMT)

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