Trump had a way to end government shutdown, but the reason for his rejection isn’t even connected to DHS

President Trump has rejected a proposed plan that could have ended the ongoing government shutdown and reopened agencies such as the TSA. This plan, discussed with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, aimed to fund almost all of the Department of Homeland Security, with the notable exception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

NBC News reported that the proposal would fund ICE separately later in the year through a party-line “reconciliation” bill. Such a bill can pass without needing any Democratic support. Many Republicans viewed this as a viable and potentially better path to break the current legislative deadlock, since it would allow them to maintain the status quo.

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for over a month, and while essential services like TSA are still running, many employees are working without pay. Recently, major airlines reached out, warning of trouble if TSA remains without funding. Interestingly, ICE employees are still being paid, thanks to Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which injected about $75 billion into the agency for the next four years to support his mass deportation program.

For Trump, TSA is a visible and public leverage

Republicans believed this “off-ramp” idea would appeal to Democrats, who have previously petitioned to fund non-controversial parts of DHS while negotiations on immigration continued. The benefits for both sides were clear: Republicans could avoid giving in to Democratic demands. Democrats, on the other hand, could keep their hands off ICE funding, which has become a contentious issue with their base.

Trump, however, shot that option down before giving the reasons for his rejection on Truth Social: “I don’t think we should make any deal with the Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats unless, and until, they Vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.’” He then called on Republicans to “Kill the Filibuster, and stay in D.C. for Easter, if necessary.” Cue my very comical surprise (not) that he is intentionally delaying to mess with the election.

Then again, it is a testament to the situation. Democrats are determined to block the SAVE America Act, so it doesn’t have enough support to pass. Republicans have also indicated they lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster. So now, Congress looks like they will even cancel their recess if a deal isn’t reached.

Trump doubled down on his demands when speaking in Memphis, insisting that Homeland Security funding be tied to his proposed voting bill: “The most important part of homeland security is voter ID and proof of citizenship. Nobody can vote on Homeland Security without voter ID or proof of citizenship.”

Obviously, everyone is frustrated, and Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) has already groused that they “can be out of this shutdown by the end of the week.” In the meantime, Democrats are now planning to use Trump’s Truth Social post to argue that he is solely responsible for the shutdown and the resulting travel chaos. They also plan to try to seek unanimous consent to fund just the TSA again, for the eighth time.