Senate Republicans Propose $70 Billion Budget to Fund ICE and Border Patrol
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Senate Republicans have introduced a budget resolution aiming to allocate $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over 3.5 years, utilizing the reconciliation process to bypass Democratic opposition.
Senate Republicans have introduced a budget resolution to allocate $70 billion over 3.5 years to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This initiative seeks to utilize the budget reconciliation process, allowing passage with a simple majority and circumventing Democratic opposition.
Senator Lindsey Graham, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, emphasized the urgency of this funding, stating that Republicans are "moving forward — not backward — on rational immigration policies that secure our border."
The resolution instructs the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees to draft legislation permitting each to increase spending by up to $70 billion, with the final bill expected to total around $70 billion.
This move comes amid a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), now in its eighth week, due to disagreements over funding for immigration enforcement agencies. Democrats have opposed additional funding for ICE and CBP without implementing reforms, following incidents involving federal agents.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed regret over the necessity of this approach, stating, "I really regret that the Democrats have forced us down this path, because in my view, the appropriations process is one of the... few things that we ought to be able to do around here in a bipartisan way."
The Senate aims to vote on the budget resolution as early as midweek, with the goal of advancing the final bill to the president's desk by the June 1 deadline.
