House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday rejected a bipartisan Senate deal to partially fund the Department of Homeland Security, calling the compromise a "joke" and exposing a rare public split between top Republican congressional leaders.

The collapse came after Senate Majority Leader John Thune had negotiated for weeks with Democratic senators on a compromise that would have reopened most of DHS while excluding funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. The Senate had unanimously agreed to the deal early Friday morning, with senators expressing confidence before departing for a two-week spring break.

Johnson's angry rejection of the deal caught many by surprise, particularly given that Thune said the two had been in communication via text messages. "I have to protect the House, and I have to protect the American people," Johnson told reporters Friday afternoon. House Republicans quickly rallied behind Johnson's position, with Rep. Nick LaLota calling Senate Republicans "cowards" who "chickened out" to go home for recess.

The Department of Homeland Security has been operating under a partial shutdown since mid-February, marking what could become the longest such closure in U.S. history. The impasse centers on disagreements over immigration enforcement funding, with Democrats seeking new restrictions on agency operations and Republicans pushing for full funding without limitations.

The breakdown threatens to complicate other Republican priorities as the party maintains control of both congressional chambers. President Trump has identified voter identification legislation as his top priority, while the administration may also seek more than $200 billion in war funding. The 60-vote threshold in the Senate poses challenges for advancing these initiatives.

With negotiations ending acrimoniously and Congress on recess, no clear path forward has emerged. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said his caucus was "holding the line," while Republican Sen. Susan Collins criticized Democrats as "intransigent and unreasonable." The shutdown's continuation has given Democrats renewed ammunition to blame House Republicans for the funding impasse.