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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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As the Department of Homeland Security shutdown stretched on Thursday morning, two Senate Republicans voted against a bill to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol.
Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, were the lone GOP senators to vote against the budget resolution, which could end the two-month DHS shutdown, in part over concerns that the bill would create a pathway for ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) out of the annual congressional appropriations process.
While the Trump administration has urged GOP members to pass the $70 million resolution, House Republicans have remained divided on the idea. Last year, the agencies were handed over $100 billion through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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“Congress ought to fund border security, but we should be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars and fully pay for the $70 billion to secure our borders,” Paul told senators on the floor.
Newsweek reached out to Paul and Murkowski for comment via email on Thursday morning.
What Did the Senate Vote On?
In the early hours of Thursday, senators voted on a resolution that would eventually lead to funding for immigration enforcement and the reopening of DHS. Despite Paul and Murkowski's siding with all Democrats, the resolution passed 50-48 just after 3:30 a.m. ET.
Lawmakers have been struggling to pass a funding deal amid concerns that immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has lacked sufficient guardrails. Those concerns were only heightened in January, when two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, were shot dead by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
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Democrats have pushed for greater scrutiny over ICE to be baked into any budget resolution, but the plan as it stands does not include such provisions. The lack of provisions has essentially led to the current standoff in Congress, leaving many DHS workers without pay.
Senators also proposed multiple amendments to the resolution—a common feature of the process—including one to lower electricity costs from Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey.
"Instead of providing economic relief for everyday Americans, MAGA Republicans want to provide billions for ICE and CBP. Disgusting," Markey posted on X on Thursday morning.
What Are Senators Paul and Murkowski's Concerns?
For Paul, the money itself appeared to be an issue that prevented him from supporting the budget resolution.
As a fiscal conservative, Paul has often spoken out against big federal spending packages. The Hill reported that he had offered an amendment to the package that would have offset the cost by cutting $5 billion from refugee welfare programs and $4 billion from the National Science Foundation.
Murkowski is said to be hesitant because of the plan to pull ICE and CBP from yearly appropriations, even though she supports the agencies themselves.
What Happens Next
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hoped the House would adopt the resolution without amendments, which would allow it to reach President Donald Trump's desk faster.
“We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies,” Thune said.
Whether that will happen remains to be seen. House Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to pass his chamber's own budget resolution before the two chambers can work together to pass the bill itself, all while DHS workers continue to work without pay.
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