WASHINGTON — The House narrowly passed a roughly $70 billion bill on Tuesday to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump's term, sending the measure to his desk after months of negotiations. The Senate approved it last week, and Trump is expected to sign it into law.
The package cleared the House on a party-line vote of 214-212, with Republicans using the budget reconciliation process to bypass a Senate filibuster and advance the funding without Democratic support. The bill is designed to fund the two agencies for three years rather than through the usual annual appropriations cycle.
Republican leaders cast the measure as a way to put immigration enforcement on stable footing. Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington of Texas said the bill would provide "regular, normal funding" for ICE and Border Patrol over three years "so we don't end up here again." Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott had said that without the funds, the agency was struggling to pay employees and meet contracts, according to NPR.
The vote was unusually tight. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., briefly cast a "no" vote, which left the tally at 213-213 — enough to defeat the bill — before he changed his vote after speaking with GOP leaders on the floor, according to The Hill. Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent from California, joined all Democrats in opposing the measure.
The legislation caps a turbulent stretch in Congress. Trump had pushed to include a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund in the package, but Republicans in both chambers balked over concerns about how the money could be used, and the fund advanced without legislative restrictions, according to NBC News and MS NOW. The reconciliation route became the GOP's path forward after talks with Democrats over immigration enforcement reforms collapsed.
Democrats and immigration advocates criticized the approach. They argued that funding the agencies outside the normal appropriations process cedes congressional oversight, noting the money comes with few requirements on how it is spent, according to NPR. Critics also said the bill omits guardrails included in past funding measures, such as requirements to report detention data. The legislation gives ICE more than three times its most recent annual budget, according to NPR.
The funding arrives as DHS operates under new leadership, with Markwayne Mullin having replaced Kristi Noem as secretary in March. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had said Democrats would be a "hard no" on the bill.
This is a developing story.
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