GOP Lawmakers Abandon DC Amid DHS Showdown With Democrats
Republican lawmakers left the US capital amid a bitter fight with Democrats over the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Senate Majority Leader John Thune led the group of Republican senators leaving Washington, D.C., amid the fight over the DHS appropriations bill and the battle over election integrity legislation. The Senate on Friday passed, by unanimous consent, a funding deal excluding money for ICE and the Border Patrol, while the House then narrowly passed stop-gap funding for all of DHS, including immigration enforcement, through the end of May. (RELATED: 5 senators pass DHS funding bill in the dead of night before 2-week recess begins)
The Senate also failed to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, add voter ID requirements and remove non-citizens from voter rolls.
Thune was seen leaving DC on Friday, where a Fox News reporter asked him if he thought everything was “resolved” and “working well” and if the House would “do its job.”
Thun ” replied to the reporter: “We have made some temporary progress, but we still have a lot of work to do. »
Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine called out Thune individually in a message on Friday
Looks like leader John Thune is leaving town with his private escort, as the SAVE America Act gets left behind.
It’s very disappointing.
I am prepared to stay in Washington as long as it takes to get my job done. pic.twitter.com/NLg4xEJRdg
– Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) March 27, 2026
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was spotted at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., amid the ongoing battle over DHS funding, according to photos obtained by TMZ. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Takes Heat From All Corners After Comparing Invasion of Iranian Islands to Iwo Jima)
Graham – a staunch supporter of the Iran war – was deemed “the most magical place on Earth” after leaving Washington during the ongoing showdown between Senate Republicans and Democrats.
PHOTOS: Lindsey Graham on vacation at Disney World amid shutdown 📸https://t.co/fwzuZSiNkR
-TMZ (@TMZ) March 29, 2026
The senator responded to the Daily Caller’s request for confirmation. “I was invited to a lunch in South Florida on Friday with Trump official Steve Witkoff and many others to talk about the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. I then went to Orlando to meet friends. I flew back to South Carolina on Sunday. I voted 7 times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat,” he said.
As of Monday, Graham is back in South Carolina. Neither his official Senate website nor his campaign site currently lists a schedule of public events or upcoming appearances in the state.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was also seen on a plane from Washington amid the shutdown, in a photo obtained Friday by TMZ.
A Cruz spokesperson told the caller: “As previously reported, Senator Cruz was set to speak at CPAC, where he had been a confirmed speaker for weeks. »
On Sunday, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming appeared to be seen on his phone waiting to board a flight out of D.C., in a photo obtained by TMZ on Sunday. (RELATED: GOP Senator Details Blue State Fallout From Schumer Shutdown: ‘Their Dreams Are Collateral Damage’)
The caller reached out to Barrasso’s office for comment to confirm it was the senator, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
