GOP cracks in Senate begin to show in DHS shutdown fight

The Republican-controlled Senate is fracturing over strategy in the 38-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown, with some GOP lawmakers concluding that blaming Democrats alone won't resolve the impasse and risks political damage to their own party. The shutdown has created visible disruptions at major airports and other transportation hubs, intensifying pressure on Congress to reach a funding agreement. The internal Republican discord suggests negotiations may be shifting as the political costs of the closure mount, with senators worried that voters will hold the majority party responsible regardless of blame assignments. The breakdown in GOP unity complicates efforts to reopen the agency and threatens Trump administration priorities that depend on DHS funding and operations.