(Radio Iowa) – The White House press secretary says President Trump is urging members of Congress to cut their Easter recess short and return to Washington to vote on ending the partial government shutdown. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, says the long-running partisan standoff over funding for the Department of Homeland Security needs to be resolved.
“We have Democrats’ opposition to ICE funding. It’s hurting our public safety,” Grassley says. “It’s past time the Department of Homeland Security is fully funded, and I’ll return to Washington as soon as votes are called.” The Senate passed a funding measure last week that would have reopened D-H-S, but it failed in the House. Grassley is unsure whether the disagreement can be rectified even if lawmakers are told to return from the two-week recess early.
“I know that there’s discussions going on between the leadership levels to see what can happen,” Grassley says. “And while those negotiations are going on in a small circle, nothing else is happening in the United States Senate, so I’m going to stay in Iowa until we’re actually called back.” Now in its 46th day, this is the longest partial government shutdown in U-S history, surpassing the earlier longest funding gap, which ended after 43 days in November of 2025.
