Mike Johnson Caves, Agrees To Pass Shutdown-Ending Bill He Called 'Joke' Days Before
Johnson announced a two-track plan after previously dismissing the Senate-passed funding bill as a joke.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe Daily Caller publishes attributed reporting with a byline, but its partisan orientation warrants caution about framing and source selection. The article includes direct quotations and factual detail, though its account relies heavily on Republican leaders’ statements.
- Source type — A national news publisher, but one with a right-leaning partisan orientation.
- Editorial standards — The piece attributes key claims and quotes to named speakers, but offers limited independent corroboration.
- Author attribution — A named author is identified.
- Transparency — The article identifies the leaders’ public statement and Johnson’s post as sources.
The article supplies a clear account of the proposed funding approach and quotes the two leaders and a Republican critic. It gives little independent context or response from Democrats, and some consequential claims about their motives are presented only as the leaders’ assertions.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article reports the Republican leaders’ rationale and includes criticism from a conservative Republican, but does not include a Democratic perspective or independent assessment of the competing claims.
- Source diversity — The sources quoted are Republican leaders and a Republican critic; no Democrat is quoted.
- Counterarguments presented — A conservative lawmaker objects to separating immigration-enforcement funding from other DHS funding, but broader opposing arguments are absent.
- Loaded language — The leaders’ charged language about Democrats is quoted, while the headline uses “Caves.”
- Omitted context — The article offers little independent explanation of the funding dispute or the Democratic position.
The headline’s “Caves” framing and the article’s reliance on Republican leaders’ accusations about Democrats create a right-leaning presentation, despite including a Republican critic of the plan.
- Headline — “Caves” frames Johnson’s shift as capitulation rather than neutrally describing a change in approach.
- Source selection — Most quoted material comes from Republican leaders, with no Democratic response included.
- Framing — The leaders’ accusations that Democrats favor open borders are included without a competing account.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would work with Senate Majority Leader John Thune on a two-track plan to end the 47-day partial shutdown, including House passage of a Senate-approved DHS funding bill Johnson had recently called a “joke.”
Johnson and Thune announced that the House would pursue a Senate-approved bill funding the Department of Homeland Security except for immigration enforcement agencies, then seek to fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection through reconciliation. Johnson had recently criticized the Senate-passed bill. The article says the partial shutdown had left some DHS workers unpaid and caused long airport lines for travelers.
Community verdict
27 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Senate Majority Leader and co-announcer of the DHS funding plan
Thune's version of this story ↗Representative who criticized separating immigration-enforcement funding from other DHS funding
Part of a bigger story
12 OUTLETSOutlets report that Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune backed a two-track plan to reopen most of DHS while pursuing separate funding for ICE and Border Patrol. The plan drew Republican objections and faced uncertainty over House action. Left-leaning outlets cast Johnson’s shift as capitulation and emphasize backlash from MAGA-aligned critics. Center outlets focus on hurdles and party divisions around the plan, as well as Johnson’s delayed House vote. Right-leaning outlets emphasize Republican anger over his reversal, though one presents the agreement as a strategic win for Republicans.
- ARTICLES
- 12
- OUTLETS
- 12
- AVG CRED
- 70
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