Speaker Mike Johnson Predicts End to Stalemate Over DHS

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) shared on Feb. 1 that he believes he can garner the Republican votes to end a partial government shutdown within days, with the House debating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reforms within the following two weeks.

"I’m very optimistic that we will get everyone back in town,” Johnson said Feb.1 in an interview, referring to fellow Republican officials. “We will convince them that we need to implement the president’s play call,” granting the Trump administration time to discuss reforms to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with Democrats.

On Jan. 30, the Senate passed a bipartisan funding package to keep a wide array of government agencies operational. Despite the passage, the U.S. has entered a brief partial government shutdown over the weekend following Congress’s failure to approve the original spending plan, with the chamber now awaiting the House to return on Feb. 2 to approve the new decision.

Both Republican and Democratic officials have sought to ensure that government operations remain afloat while immigration enforcement discussions continue. The effort is a significant shift from the previous shutdown, when both parties stood firm on their positions in a disagreement over healthcare, leading to the longest shutdown in U.S. history – 43 days – and costing the U.S. economy roughly $11 billion.

The bipartisan deal approved by the Senate would remove DHS from the original spending package, allowing officials to authorize funding for agencies such as the Pentagon and the Department of Labor as reforms are discussed among federal immigration officers amid the recent crackdowns in Minnesota leading to the deaths of two Minneapolis activists.

“I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town, Johnson said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” referring to the rampant snowstorm in the southeastern region of the U.S. affecting travel and transport.