Senate Advances $70B ICE Funding Plan

The U.S. Senate advanced a $70 billion budget resolution on April 23, 2021, to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for three years through the reconciliation process, bypassing Democratic opposition. The plan aims to secure funding until the end of President Donald Trump's term in January 2029.

The move allows Republicans to advance the legislation with a simple majority, circumventing the need for Democratic votes. Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced the resolution, authorizing relevant committees to draft legislation increasing spending by up to $70 billion each. According to Reuters, lawmakers voted 52-46 in the predawn hours to adopt the non-binding budget resolution and send it to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The vote took place after a marathon voting session known as 'vote-a-rama,' during which lawmakers offered numerous amendments. Democrats used this opportunity to propose changes centered on affordability, including amendments addressing grocery prices and out-of-pocket healthcare costs. However, these amendments did not receive enough support to advance.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized the plan for allocating funds without addressing rising costs for American families. Democrats have refused to fund immigration operations without reforms following two deadly shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. According to The Guardian, Schumer stated, 'Tonight, Senate Republicans showed the American people where they stand: Not for families struggling with the high costs of childcare, groceries, and gasoline, electricity, but for pumping $140 billion towards rogue agencies.'

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defended the resolution, stating that it would help ensure America's borders are secure. The resolution must now be adopted in the House of Representatives before the chambers' committees on judiciary and homeland security can draft the legislation to unlock the funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

The Senate is expected to vote on the budget resolution this week, with Republicans aiming to get the final bill to President Trump's desk by his June 1 deadline. According to CBS News, House Republicans are reluctant to reopen DHS until the reconciliation process is complete, potentially prolonging the shutdown. Democrats plan to introduce amendments targeting affordability issues in response to the Republican proposal.

House Republicans have expressed growing frustration that a forthcoming GOP-only funding package does not include other policy priorities beyond funding immigration enforcement ahead of November’s midterm elections. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) told Fox News Digital, 'I think we've got one last opportunity for reconciliation... I know some people are talking about two, but I think we’ve got one guaranteed shot.' House conservatives have also objected to the Senate passing a bipartisan partial DHS bill carving out ICE and the Border Patrol from the normal appropriations process.

Senate Republicans are largely unified on keeping the package as narrow as possible out of concern that adding more to the pot could stall lawmakers’ progress. However, some Senate Republicans agree with their House colleagues who want to super-size the forthcoming package out of fear that they may not get another shot before the midterms.

The Senate rejected a resolution on Wednesday that would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from a conflict with Iran until Congress authorizes further action. The vote was 46-51, with Republicans largely backing Trump's military efforts. This was the fifth time this year that the Senate voted to cede its war powers to the president in a conflict that Democrats say is illegal and unjustified.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) expressed concern about the prolonged involvement of the U.S. in the conflict, stating, 'The longer Trump waits to extricate the U.S. from this war, the deeper the hole gets and the harder it will be for him to get out.' Republicans have been reluctant to criticize Trump or the war, even as they express a desire for it to end quickly.