May be important: Both GOP Sens. Rounds and Kennedy say they support separating DHS from the 6-bill funding package

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Last edited Wed Jan 28, 2026, 02:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Scott Wong @scottwongDC
Both GOP Sens. Rounds and Kennedy say they are supportive of splitting up the 6-bill Approps package.

Passing a package of 5 Approps bills and then doing a CR for DHS.

The “smart play is to carve out the Homeland Security bill, and we can fight over that, but in the meantime, try to do a CR (for DHS) and pass the other bills,” Kennedy says heading into GOP lunch

1:14 PM · Jan 28, 2026

Link to tweet

...could be a move to divide off Democrats who don't want to block appropriations for the other agencies.

Would also make it easier to continue to block the DHS funding, and will likely provide some room for negotiating changes in ICE policy.

I'd remind them, though, they still haven't passed an extension on ACA subsidies - the demand of the last shutdown which only got us to the vote that failed in the Senate.

Also, many ICE programs, like detention and removal, draw from multi-year supplemental funds (e.g., $75B from 2025 legislation) and user fees, which are not reliant on annual appropriations. This minimizes shutdown impacts on core operations, allowing essential activities to continue uninterrupted.


Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer 14m
The Senate is scheduled to take the first procedural vote on a funding package including DHS funding tomorrow.

Let me be clear: Until ICE is properly reined in and overhauled, the DHS funding bill won’t have the votes to pass the Senate.