Johnson says Democrats’ pitch to fund DHS without ICE, CBP would ‘defund the police’

Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a Democratic proposal to fund most Department of Homeland Security agencies while excluding ICE and CBP, characterizing the plan as "defunding the police." House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries launched a discharge petition Monday to advance the measure, an unusual procedural tactic that would allow Democrats to bypass normal committee channels. Johnson's framing attempts to equate immigration enforcement cuts with broader law-and-order messaging, a key Republican talking point ahead of upcoming budget negotiations. The disagreement reflects deeper partisan divisions over immigration enforcement priorities, with Democrats seeking to redirect resources away from immigration agencies and Republicans defending both agencies as essential security operations. The discharge petition requires signatures from a majority of House members to succeed, making the outcome dependent on potential Republican defections.