GOP Lawmakers Abandon DC Amid DHS Showdown With Democrats

GOP lawmakers have left America’s capital amid a heated struggle with Democrats over the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Senate Majority Leader John Thune led the pack of Republican senators leaving Washington, DC, amid the DHS appropriations bill fight and the battle over election integrity legislation. The Senate passed a funding deal excluding money for ICE and Border Patrol using unanimous consent Friday, while the House later narrowly passed a stopgap funding all of DHS, including immigration enforcement, through late May. (RELATED: 5 Senators Pass DHS Funding Bill In Dead Of Night Hours Before 2-Week Break Starts)

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 D.C. on Friday, where he was asked by a Fox News reporter if he believes everything is “resolved” and “working out well” and if the House will “do their job.”

Thune responded to the reporter, “We made some temporary headway, but we got a lot of work to do still.”

Republican Florida Rep. Randy Fine called Thune out individually in a post on X Friday. “Looks like Leader John Thune is on his way out of town with his private escort, as the SAVE America Act gets left behind. This is very disappointing. I am willing to stay in Washington as long as it takes to get the job done,” he wrote.

Looks like Leader John Thune is on his way out of town with his private escort, as the SAVE America Act gets left behind.

This is very disappointing.

I am willing to stay in Washington as long as it takes to get the 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, Florida, amid the ongoing battle over DHS funding, according to photos obtained by TMZ (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Takes Heat From Every Corner After Comparing Iranian Island Invasion To Iwo Jima)

Graham — a vocal supporter of war in Iran — was seen what is marketed as “The Most Magical Place on Earth” after leaving Washington during Senate Republicans’ continuing standoff with Democrats.

PHOTOS: Lindsey Graham vacationing 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 went to Orlando to meet friends after. I got 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 list a public events calendar or any upcoming in-state appearances.

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz was also spotted on a plane out of DC amid the shutdown in a picture obtained by TMZ on Friday.

A Cruz spokesperson told the Caller, “As previously reported, Senator Cruz was on his way 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 catch a flight out of D.C., in a photo obtained by TMZ Sunday. (RELATED: GOP Sen. 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