ANALYSIS
GOP uses budget reconciliation to pump billions into ICE, CBP
The resolution, which had already passed the Senate last week by 50-48, opens the door to writing a reconciliation bill that would only require a simple majority in the Senate, avoiding a filibuster. The goal is to fund immigration agencies for the remainder of President Trump's term.
House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The House of Representatives narrowly approved a budget resolution Wednesday that allows Republicans to use the reconciliation process to allocate between $70 and $75 billion additional to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol (CBP), without needing Democratic support.
The vote, which was kept open for more than five hours due to internal negotiations, ended with a 214-212 result, with one vote "present" by independent Kevin Kiley. This is the first phase of a two-step plan pushed by the White House to resolve the Department of Homeland Security shutdown (DHS), which has now been in place for more than ten weeks.
The resolution, which had already passed the Senate last week by 50-48, opens the door to drafting a reconciliation bill that would only require a simple majority in the Senate, avoiding a filibuster. The goal is to fund immigration agencies for the remainder of President Trump's term.
Internal tensions and last-minute concessions
Approval was far from straightforward. An internal rebellion by several Republicans, driven by dissatisfaction with the Farm Bill, threatened to block the vote for several hours. The House speaker, Mike Johnson (R-La.), had to personally intervene to negotiate among the various factions of his party and avoid another failure.
On the floor, Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) defended the measure forcefully: "What choice do we have? They want to defund ICE and Border Patrol."
For his part, Johnson acknowledged the complexity of the moment and the need to reach an internal agreement: "Yes, we're going to have a big family meeting here. We're going to get everybody on the same page."
Finally, a last-minute deal was struck: the controversial E15 permanent fuel sales provision was removed from the Farm Bill and will be voted on independently during May.
Democratic criticism and shutdown context
In early January, Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot to death in Minneapolis by an ICE agent after attempting to run him over with her car. Later that month, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, also 37 and a nurse, was shot in the same city by Border Patrol agents while interfering with an immigration operation.
The DHS shutdown, which began in mid-February, has generated mounting pressure from both the White House and Senate. Administration sources have warned that the department could run out of funds to pay its employees beginning in early May if it is not resolved soon.
With this resolution, the GOP completes the first stage of its planand are now focused on drafting the final reconciliation package, which must reach President Trump's desk by June 1.
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