House Freedom Caucus leaders on Friday rejected a Senate-passed DHS funding bill as Senators leave town for a two-week Easter recess.
The Senate very early Friday morning, after a marathon session, unanimously approved a voice-vote package to fund the Department of Homeland Security, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and key parts of Customs and Border Protection.
Democrats flat-out refused to support full funding without gutting immigration raids and deportation operations.
Instead of fighting for the full funding, Thune and the Senate GOP folded in the dead of night, when no one was watching.
Thune then left town with a private escort.
Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) on Friday morning said the Freedom Caucus leaders are going to flat-out reject the Senate’s bill.
“What the Senate just sent over to the House is so laughably bad – uh, we’re rejecting it out of hand,” Chip Roy said.
He continued, “They sent over a bill that’s not gonna fund ICE and Border Patrol and stand with the great men and women that are defending our country. We reject that. We’re gonna stand along side our law enforcement personnel. We’re gonna have a full-throated debate. We’re gonna decide what we’re gonna do but suffice it to say, we’re gonna stand with those who are standing up for us for defending our country. We need to fully fund them… we’re not gonna move this Senate bill.”
“We’re gonna move something better and we’re gonna send it back to the Senate,” he added.
Many Senators have already left town so if the House agrees on a bill it will be stalled in the Senate – once again.
WATCH:
The Senate bill is a non-starter. We’ll send something back to stand with @CBP & @ICEgov – perhaps other important provisions. But we’re not accepting the garbage from the Senate. pic.twitter.com/2upBegzJVy
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) March 27, 2026
Chip Roy, flanked by other Freedom Caucus members like Andy Biggs, blasted the Senate bill in remarks to the media.
“It is absolutely offensive to the people that we represent that the Senate would send over a bill that doesn’t fund Border Patrol and the core components of ICE,” he said.
“Could the Senate be any more lazy than to send to us a bill that doesn’t do the job and then leave town? So we’re going to stand up and say NO to that. We’re going to send back a bill that’s responsible to the American people,” he said.
WATCH:
Rep. Roy: “It is absolutely offensive to the people that we represent that the Senate would send over a bill that doesn’t fund Border Patrol and the core components of ICE.
Could the Senate be any more lazy than to send to us a bill that doesn’t do the job and then leave town?… pic.twitter.com/LHf7KACbTq
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) March 27, 2026
