# Senate advances DHS budget plan focusing on ICE, Border Patrol  
**Published:** 2026-04-23T12:07:11.000Z  
**Source:** [LEX 18 News](https://www.lex18.com/politics/senate-passes-budget-plan-for-ice-and-border-patrol-in-bid-to-reopen-dhs)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/senate-advances-dhs-budget-plan-focusing-on-ice-border-patrol

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The U.S. Senate voted early Thursday to advance a budget plan that would fund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and Border Patrol, marking the first significant step in a Republican effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security after a shutdown that began in mid-February, [according to LEX 18 News](https://www.lex18.com/politics/senate-passes-budget-plan-for-ice-and-border-patrol-in-bid-to-reopen-dhs).

The 50-48 vote, which occurred just after 3:30 a.m., sent the measure to the House after a lengthy series of amendment votes that stretched through the night. The entire department has remained shuttered as Democrats demanded policy reforms following fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents in January.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the Republican approach through budget reconciliation—a procedural method requiring only a simple majority—would ensure "America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies." The $70 billion budget resolution would fund the two agencies for three years through the remainder of President Donald Trump's term.

Democrats countered that funding should come with strict oversight reforms. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argued Republicans should work with Democrats to lower healthcare costs instead of "pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol." The party has pushed for better identification requirements for federal officers and expanded use of judicial warrants.

The Senate previously passed bipartisan legislation on a voice vote in March to fund the remainder of the department, excluding ICE and Border Patrol. However, House Republicans refused to advance that bill, insisting any funding measure include money for immigration enforcement agencies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has not indicated when the chamber will take up the Senate's broader DHS funding legislation. Some House Republicans, including Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, have suggested adding other priorities to the budget bill, such as funding for farmers and Trump's SAVE America Act voter identification proposal, viewing it as a final opportunity to pass major legislation before November's midterm elections.

Senate Majority Leader Thune warned that other departments could run out of money before the lengthy reconciliation process concludes. The Trump administration has used executive orders to pay some department salaries, though the sustainability of those measures remains uncertain.

## Sources

- [LEX 18 News](https://www.lex18.com/politics/senate-passes-budget-plan-for-ice-and-border-patrol-in-bid-to-reopen-dhs)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from LEX 18 News. The original source is available at https://www.lex18.com/politics/senate-passes-budget-plan-for-ice-and-border-patrol-in-bid-to-reopen-dhs.