House Republicans are moving forward this week with a $70 billion spending package designed to fuel immigration enforcement operations throughout Donald Trump's presidency, clearing a Democratic blockade that has persisted for months.
The Secure America Act already cleared the Senate last week with allocations of $38 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion to Customs and Border Protection, and $5 billion to the Department of Homeland Security. House passage is expected to follow along party lines, though Speaker Mike Johnson faces a razor-thin margin requiring every one of his 218 Republican-aligned members present and voting.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Monday that Democrats would unanimously oppose the measure. The Democratic blockade began in January after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during an undocumented immigrant enforcement operation.
While Republican votes appear secure, the bill faces potential complications from within GOP ranks. Congressional Republicans have grown uneasy over Trump's proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, which would direct money to his political allies. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House committee last week that the concept was dead, yet Trump stopped short of ruling it out in a Sunday broadcast interview.
During Senate consideration, a small group of Republicans attempted to attach an amendment blocking the fund, but their bid for bipartisan support collapsed.
The legislation also encountered friction over a separate $1 billion provision for security upgrades at a ballroom Trump is constructing at the White House. Senate Republicans ultimately agreed to strip the funding after the chamber's parliamentarian determined it could not remain if the bill was to pass under budget reconciliation rules, which allow the measure to sidestep the Democratic filibuster.
Author James Rodriguez: "This bill moves fast because Republicans have the votes, but Trump's instinct to reward loyalists and upgrade his own properties keeps threatening to trip up his own party."
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