we will be voting to keep the federal government funded, to keep it open, to keep these important agencies so critical to the functioning of our federal government, and the employees who work there, who shouldn’t be held hostage in a government shutdown. We will be voting today to keep all of those open with reforms – with reforms – to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the very thing the Democrats have said they wanted, then walked away from...
Vote to keep the federal government funded, including Homeland Security agencies, and implement reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement such as body camera funding, deescalation training, and increased oversight of ICE and Border Patrol spending.
Occurrences
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Republican senators Thursday night that they need to "work together to ensure that DHS , including ICE and Border Patrol, is funded in a sustainable manner for the rest of the year." ... Thune ... appears to be holding out hope that he can fund the rest of DHS through the traditional appropriations process "so that we can then focus our reconciliation efforts on ICE and the Border Patrol," according to an email Thune sent to Senate offices. ... "I've asked Susan [Collins, Appropriations Committee chair] to draft the text to fund as many portions of DHS as we can. We will hotline that resolution soon, and I hope we can clear that bill by UC. [Unanimous consent]," Thune wrote.
Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate reached an agreement on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill, including a number of reforms: deescalation training for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, increased funding for body cameras, and increased oversight of border security and immigration enforcement funding.
The contours of the deal under consideration would fund most of Homeland Security, but exclude funding for one main part of ICE — the enforcement and removal operations that are core to Trump's deportation agenda. Under the package being floated, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations would be funded as well as Customs and Border Protection, but with new guardrails to position officers from those divisions in their traditional roles, rather than as they have been used more recently in immigration roundups in cities. It would also include a number of changes in immigration operations that Democrats have demanded, including mandating that officers wear body cameras and identification.
Republicans will fund law enforcement and border security for the next three years.
Thune criticized Democrats for blocking efforts to fund the Department of Homeland Security and announced Republican plans to pass a reconciliation bill to ensure funding for law enforcement agencies.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced plans for the Senate to consider a reconciliation bill aimed at funding border security and immigration enforcement for the next three years, following Democrats' refusal to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Nonetheless, the Republican leadership and Trump have coalesced around a plan to fully fund Homeland Security as part of a two-step process. The agreement puts the congressional leaders on the same page for ending the impasse after they had pursued separate paths that resulted in Congress leaving Washington for its spring recess without a fix. ... Johnson (R-La.) and Thune announced Wednesday that they would return to the Senate measure, which funds most of Homeland Security with the exception of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. Republicans will try later to fund those agencies through party-line spending legislation that could take months to finish.
We will be voting today to keep all of those open with reforms — with reforms — to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the President’s directive by fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process. ... In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited.
"We need law enforcement." "We need the police officers who patrol our streets..." "We need the FBI agents..." "We need the Secret Service agents..."
Evidence
In January, Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate reached an agreement on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill, including a number of reforms: deescalation training for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, increased funding for body cameras, and increased oversight of border security and immigration enforcement funding.
That bipartisan agreement included additional funding for body cameras for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. It included funding for deescalation training for ICE. And it included additional oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol spending.
Republicans previously agreed to provide additional money for body cameras and deescalation training for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in a bipartisan, full-year Homeland Security bill.
The Senate voted overnight to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security after a 42-day standoff over immigration enforcement tactics. The measure does not include additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol — and it does not include any of the demands Democrats made to limit the tactics of federal immigration officers.
The Homeland Security funding lapse stretches toward its 49th day, with Republican leaders aligning on a two-step plan to break the impasse. Under the plan, most of Homeland Security receives immediate funding while ICE and Border Patrol face delays pending separate conservative legislation.
Democrats had previously agreed to a Homeland Security appropriations bill, which included additional money for body cameras as well as deescalation training for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and additional oversight of funds that have already been appropriated to DHS.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Republican senators Thursday night that they need to 'work together to ensure that DHS, including ICE and Border Patrol, is funded in a sustainable manner for the rest of the year.'
Senators are discussing a proposal to end the Homeland Security budget stalemate by funding much of the department, including the Transportation Security Administration airport workers going without pay, but excluding ICE's enforcement and removal operations that have been core to the dispute.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced plans for the Senate to consider a reconciliation bill aimed at funding border security and immigration enforcement for the next three years, following Democrats' refusal to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Thune criticized Democrats for blocking efforts to fund the Department of Homeland Security and announced Republican plans to pass a reconciliation bill to ensure funding for law enforcement agencies.
Republican leaders proposed a two-step plan to fund DHS, providing immediate funding for most of the department while delaying funding for ICE and Border Patrol pending separate legislation.
Senator Thune emphasized the need for sustainable funding for DHS, including ICE and Border Patrol, following President Trump's move to restore TSA pay during the shutdown.
The Senate passed a funding bill for DHS that excluded additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol and did not incorporate proposed reforms to limit federal immigration enforcement tactics.
Senators considered a proposal to fund most of DHS, including TSA, while excluding funding for ICE's enforcement and removal operations, which were central to the budget dispute.
Senator Thune stated that a bipartisan agreement was reached in January 2026 to fund DHS, incorporating reforms such as deescalation training for ICE officers, increased body camera funding, and enhanced oversight of border security spending.
Senator Thune reiterated that the bipartisan agreement encompassed funding for body cameras, deescalation training for ICE, and increased oversight of ICE and Border Patrol expenditures.
The Senate passed a DHS funding bill excluding additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol, without proposed reforms to limit federal immigration enforcement tactics.
Senators considered a proposal to fund most of DHS, including TSA, while excluding funding for ICE's enforcement and removal operations.
Thune criticized Democrats for blocking DHS funding and announced Republican plans for a reconciliation bill to fund law enforcement agencies.
Thune announced plans for a reconciliation bill to fund border security and immigration enforcement for three years, following Democrats' refusal to fully fund DHS.
Senate Republican Leader John Thune warned Thursday that Congress is not close to an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security, signaling that another short-term extension may be the only way to avoid a shutdown as Democrats demand 'nonnegotiable' ICE reforms ahead of the Feb. 13 deadline.
Thune said that in January Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate reached an agreement on the DHS funding bill, including deescalation training for ICE officers, increased funding for body cameras, and increased oversight of border security and immigration enforcement funding.
The Senate floor activity shows H.R. 7147, the DHS appropriations bill, was laid before the Senate by unanimous consent and passed the Senate with an amendment by voice vote.
On February 12, 2026, the Senate vote on cloture for the motion to proceed to H.R. 7147 failed, 52 yeas to 47 nays. The roll call page lists Senator Thune as voting Nay.
GovInfo identifies H.R. 7147 as the enrolled bill for the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026, with a last action date of May 1, 2026.
The White House states that on April 30, 2026, the President signed H.R. 7147, the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026, into law.
On May 19, 2026, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced reconciliation legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection by an 8-5 vote.
Thune said: “We had a bipartisan deal on DHS funding – DHS funding for the entire department – that included additional funding for body cameras for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, deescalation training, and increased oversight of ICE funding.”
Thune said the bipartisan agreement included “additional funding for body cameras,” “deescalation training for ICE,” and “increased spending oversight.”
Assessments
Thune led and promoted a bipartisan DHS funding agreement in early 2026 and pushed to keep most of the Department funded; press releases claim the package would include deescalation training, body‑camera funding, and increased spending oversight. In practice the Senate passed funding for much of DHS the same term but the enacted measure excluded additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol and did not include the touted ICE/Border Patrol reforms. A Senate committee later advanced reconciliation language to fund ICE/CBP, but that was not final enactment of the promised reform package. Because DHS was largely funded but the specific ICE/Border Patrol reforms and funding were not fully implemented, the pledge is partially fulfilled; Thune visibly led and advocated for the outcome (effort noted) but the reforms weren’t fully delivered.
Thune actively pushed DHS funding during his current Senate term and publicly advanced a bipartisan funding framework that included the promised ICE-related reforms: body camera funding, deescalation training, and added oversight of ICE and Border Patrol spending. However, the record provided shows the enacted or passed funding path was mixed: the Senate moved to fund much of DHS while excluding ICE/Border Patrol funding and omitting the reform demands, and later committee action on ICE/CBP funding was not final enactment of the full promised package. Because there was concrete same-term action and some DHS funding progress, but not clear delivery of the full DHS-plus-reforms outcome, partial credit is appropriate.
DHS funding was enacted in the same federal Senate term through H.R. 7147, and Thune publicly and materially pushed for DHS funding, including ICE and Border Patrol. However, the strongest evidence shows the specific reform package, body camera funding, deescalation training, and increased oversight, was part of a bipartisan agreement or proposal, while later reporting indicates the Senate-passed measure excluded additional ICE/Border Patrol funding and did not include the demanded enforcement reforms. Because the core funding outcome was achieved but the promised ICE/Border Patrol reform components are not confirmed as enacted, this merits partial credit rather than full delivery.
The evidence demonstrates that John Thune made serious legislative efforts to keep the federal government funded, specifically targeting Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Patrol. Multiple sources confirm bipartisan agreements and announcements regarding proposed funding measures, as well as inclusion of reforms such as body camera funding, deescalation training, and enhanced oversight. However, the legislative outcome was incomplete: while some elements of Homeland Security were funded, ICE and Border Patrol received delayed or excluded funding, and not all reforms appear to have been fully enacted. Therefore, the promise was only partially fulfilled, but with substantial legislative effort.
Evidence shows that John Thune and Senate Republicans worked earnestly to keep the federal government and Homeland Security agencies funded and pursued legislative measures that included some ICE reforms (body camera funding, deescalation training, increased oversight). Several press releases and news articles document bipartisan agreements and efforts to implement these reforms, although not all proposed funding or reforms were enacted, and certain enforcement operations were excluded from final funding bills. Thus, Thune partially delivered on the promise, with notable effort and partial policy implementation within the same term.
Multiple sources confirm John Thune advocated for, and helped negotiate, bipartisan agreements to fund the Department of Homeland Security, including specific provisions for increased body camera funding, deescalation training, and increased oversight for ICE and Border Patrol. However, due to the political impasse, several measures only partially funded ICE/Border Patrol or excluded enforcement operations funding, and the comprehensive reforms were not fully enacted as promised. There is clear evidence of serious legislative effort and partial delivery of some reform elements.