House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, left, and President Donald Trump shake hands during an Invest America roundtable in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on June 9, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Johnson told House Republicans that he went to the White House on Wednesday to lay out his arguments for sticking to the initial plan and warned, "Opening the Pandora's Box of amending this thing could be a dangerous prospect," sources said.
But Trump nevertheless struck an agreement with Senate Democrats. Fox News Digital was told that Johnson conceded, "The president has made a play call and we have to support him on it."
The initial bipartisan DHS bill included guardrails for ICE such as mandating body-worn cameras and training for public engagement and de-escalation. But Democrats are now demanding significantly more in the wake of a second deadly shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal law enforcement during demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
SENATE GOP HOLDOUTS REFUSE TO BUDGE AS SHUTDOWN TALKS CONTINUE
The new deal struck with Democrats would only extend current DHS funding levels for two weeks in order to keep other critical agencies under the department’s purview funded while new bipartisan negotiations on immigration enforcement play out.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Trump said on Truth Social of his deal with Democrats, "I am working hard with Congress to ensure that we are able to fully fund the Government, without delay. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security (including the very important Coast Guard, which we are expanding and rebuilding like never before)."
Sources said the speaker did sound optimistic about Republicans still having leverage in the talks, however. Johnson noted that ICE had already been funded under Trump’s "big, beautiful bill" and that it would be offices like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that would run low on funds.
Sources said Johnson said of Democrats, "We can hang that on their necks."
The House is expected to take up the legislation by Monday evening.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/opening-pandoras-box-mike-johnson-backs-trump-after-warning-white-house-about-deal-democrats