House Republicans passed a budget blueprint Wednesday to begin unlocking federal funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on day 74 of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, before leaving Washington for a two-week recess.
The chamber voted 215-211 to adopt the measure after a vote held open for more than five hours while Republican leadership scrambled to secure enough support. Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, a former Republican who left the party earlier this year, voted present.
The blueprint kicks off a Senate reconciliation process that would deliver up to 0 billion for ICE and Customs and Border Protection. Republicans chose reconciliation specifically to block Senate Democrats from filibustering the border funding. The final bill is expected to provide 0 billion combined to both agencies, not 0 billion each.
DHS funding lapsed Feb. 14. Democrats have agreed to fund the rest of the department but have refused to include ICE and CBP money in any continuing resolution. The Senate passed a DHS funding bill without those agencies more than a month ago. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said the House plans to modify that bill’s language before bringing it to a floor vote.
With lawmakers now heading home through mid-May, the question of fully funding the department is set to linger.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told ‘Fox & Friends’ last week that the emergency measures President Trump used to keep the department running are nearly exhausted. ‘My payroll through DHS is just over $1.6 billion every two weeks, so the money is going extremely fast,’ Mullin said. ‘I’ve got one payroll left and there is no more emergency funds, so the president can’t do another executive order because there’s no more money there.’
