White House calls on Congress to return to ​​Washington from spring break to fund DHS

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for 45 days, officially becoming the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The previous longest shutdown was 43 days, which occurred last year.

But congressional lawmakers broke for their scheduled two-week recess to observe Passover and Easter on Friday after House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed deal that funded most of the DHS, but carved out funding for immigration enforcement operations.

House Republicans passed a 60-day funding patch that funded the entire department, kicking the ball back into the Senate’s court.

When asked if the president has told GOP leadership to bring back lawmakers, Leavitt said he has “said it repeatedly.”

Trump said during a Safe Task Force Roundtable in Memphis, Tennessee, last week that Republican senators should not “worry about Easter, going home,” and instead should stay to pass a DHS funding bill with voter identification, including photo requirements and proof of citizenship attached.

“It should be part of the homeland security bill, and I’m requesting that the Republican senators do that immediately,” Trump said. “You don’t have to take a fast vote. Don’t worry about Easter going home. In fact, make this one for Jesus, OK? Make this one for Jesus.”

Leavitt called it “egregious” that Democrats have voted against a GOP-led proposal to fund the entire department.

“Completely egregious with everything we have going on in the world,” Leavitt said. “And these brave men and women who serve DHS deserve to get their paychecks. The president wants to see that happen, and he wants Congress to come back to get it done.”

HOUSE PASSES EIGHT-WEEK DHS DEAL TO PUNT SHUTDOWN BACK TO SENATE

Leavitt’s confirmation that Trump wants to see lawmakers back on Capitol Hill came during a question about whether the administration sees a pathway to ending the shutdown after Trump signed an emergency order to pay Transportation Security Administration employees, a pressure point for lawmakers, as staffing shortages led to long wait times at U.S. airports.

“We hope so,” Leavitt said. “I mean, of course, the president just can’t keep signing presidential memorandums and proclamations every time Congress fails to do its job and every time Democrats are holding our entire country hostage, picking and choosing which programs and agencies they want to fund just because they don’t like this administration’s policies.”