DHS faces shutdown threat as Senate Democrats block Homeland Security funding bill.

 The prospect of passing significant legislation this year appears increasingly dim.

Legislative progress has been challenging in the current Congress, with a divided Republican majority and expectations for further slowdowns in an election year. Last week, President Trump cast doubt on the feasibility of a second substantial GOP-only bill, stating in an interview that “we’ve gotten everything passed that we need.”

Some party members view this stance as a miscalculation, fearing that the GOP lacks a sufficiently ambitious legislative agenda to tackle rising costs, a paramount concern for voters in the upcoming November elections.

“We will not win the midterms by telling the American people, ‘Look, we passed 11 out of 12 appropriations bills and confirmed all of President Trump’s nominees,’” remarked Senator John Kennedy (R-La.). “The American public is not interested in that. When parents lie down at night, they are not worried about those accomplishments; they are focused on the cost of living. They are exhausted from having to sell blood plasma just to afford groceries.”

Kennedy has been a prominent advocate for Republicans to pursue another legislative attempt through budget reconciliation, a process that allows them to bypass the filibuster and pass a bill without Democratic support, addressing items overlooked in their previous reconciliation effort, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“I firmly believe we should be pursuing true reconciliation. That should be our primary focus right now,” he asserted. “I simply want to take action. Inaction is particularly challenging.”

The legislative agenda for 2026, however, is shaping up to be markedly different from last year’s, which saw the Senate dedicate significantly more time to advancing some of Trump’s key priorities. This time, the calendar provides lawmakers with considerably more opportunities to engage with constituents in their home states.