The House Freedom Caucus rejected a plan constructed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to end a stalemate over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by separating out money for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
“We cannot leave ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] hanging with nothing but hopes and prayers that reconciliation 2.0 comes together. That’s why we must use reconciliation to fully fund ALL of the Department of Homeland Security!” the House Freedom Caucus posted on X.
Speaker Johnson originally rejected a plan to divide a DHS funding bill into two tracks, calling the plan a “joke.”
But Johnson eventually signed on leading to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to applaud the decision.
“Mike Johnson…have come to realize that we will never bend the knee,” a statement from Jeffries read. “It’s time to pay TSA agents, end the airport chaos and fully fund every part of the Department of Homeland Security that does not relate to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine.”
The Freedom Caucus then released a statement explaining it opposed to dual track funding plan on the grounds that it set a precedent to divide funding for border security from Homeland Security.
“We can tightly control this process with strict instructions to the various committees involved, so no one can sneak in unrelated garbage and distract us from our mission,” the Freedom Caucus statement said.
“We must provide robust funding for ICE and CBP, and it should be done with all of DHS in reconciliation 2.0. We can fund DHS for the rest of the President’s term to ensure …can never again take our nation’s security hostage.”
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown on February 14 after Congress could not agree on a funding package due to a dispute over money for ICE and CPB.
House and Senate leadership were looking for an offramp to the standoff and saw the quickest route being cleaving ICE and CPB funding off from the overall DHS funding package.
House Freedom Caucus members contend securing the border an enforcing federal immigration law are core promises to Americans.
Members of the group worry that dividing ICE and CPD funding from the overall Homeland Security funding package could open the door to a future Congress slashing funding for these agencies.
