Senate advances immigration funding bill

Senate Republicans moved on May 20 to advance an immigration-enforcement funding bill that would finance agencies inside the Department of Homeland Security through 2029. The measure uses budget reconciliation, a process that lets the Senate pass certain fiscal legislation with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes normally needed to overcome a filibuster. The bill is aimed at funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, two agencies central to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. The push has also exposed a dispute inside the party over whether to keep a $1 billion White House security request tied to Trump’s ballroom project in the package. ### How did Republicans move the bill without Democratic votes? Budget reconciliation is the key procedural tool. The Senate used it because reconciliation bills can pass with a simple majority if their provisions satisfy the chamber’s budget rules. Senate Republicans first moved in April to begin that process for immigration funding, and the Budget Committee advanced the latest package on May 20, setting up floor consideration. (thehill.com) Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, has been at the center of the effort. The package would fund immigration agencies within DHS through fiscal 2029, according to reports on the committee action and bill text. ### What is actually in the legislation? The legislation focuses on ICE and CBP. Committee reporting said the package would restore or expand funding for those agencies after Congress earlier this year shut down the Department of Homeland Security for 76 days, a record length cited in coverage of the committee vote. (cbsnews.com) (thehill.com) The price tag has been reported at roughly $70 billion to $72 billion, depending on the version and outlet describing the package. Roll Call reported committee text released in early May fleshed out a roughly $70 billion reconciliation package, while other reports described the overall measure as about $72 billion. ### Why did Trump’s ballroom become part of the fight? (federalnewsnetwork.com) A $1 billion proposal for White House security additions became the flashpoint. The funding was tied to security work for the White House complex and Trump’s new ballroom, according to Associated Press reporting carried by regional outlets and follow-up reports from Politico and Newsday. (rollcall.com) The Senate parliamentarian ruled that the proposal did not fit reconciliation rules. That decision blocked Republicans from simply folding the request into the immigration bill in its existing form, forcing leaders to revise the package. ### Why is the parliamentarian suddenly in the middle of this? Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian, advises the chamber on whether provisions comply with Senate rules, including the limits on reconciliation. (wtop.com) After she ruled against the ballroom-related funding, Trump demanded that Republicans fire her, according to Politico, Forbes and other reports. Majority Leader John Thune has been reported as unwilling to do that. Trump’s complaint was directed at a procedural referee, but the immediate effect was political. His criticism landed as Senate Republicans were still trying to hold together support for the broader immigration package. That sequence is an inference from the timing of the parliamentarian ruling, Trump’s comments and the party’s move to strip the White House item. (politico.com) ### Are Republicans keeping the $1 billion request in the bill? Republican leaders were expected on May 21 to abandon the White House security proposal after resistance from their own members. Newsday, citing the Associated Press report, said senators questioned both the timing and the lack of detail behind the Secret Service request. Politico separately reported that Republicans would remove the money from the immigration-enforcement bill. (wtop.com) That would leave the core immigration funding intact while cutting the provision that triggered the latest procedural clash. The narrower package would still head toward the Senate floor under reconciliation rules. ### What happens next on the Senate floor? The Senate could take up the bill as soon as this week, according to reporting on the Budget Committee vote. (newsday.com) Any final package will depend on what Republican leaders submit to comply with reconciliation rules and whether they formally strip the White House security request before floor action. (thehill.com) John Thune, Lindsey Graham and Senate Republicans will be the main participants in the next step. If the bill reaches the floor under reconciliation, it would need only a simple majority for passage rather than 60 votes. (thehill.com)