Thune says no Senate break without DHS funding: ‘If that’s what it takes’

Published March 19, 2026 3:41pm ET



EXCLUSIVE — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is planning to keep senators in town for the April recess if Democrats cannot reach a compromise with the White House on funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Thune said he expects to cancel his travel plans if the department, at the center of a partial government shutdown over immigration enforcement, is still shuttered by the end of next week, when the Senate is scheduled to take a two-week Easter recess.

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