The House on Tuesday approved a Republican-backed reconciliation bill directing roughly $70 billion to immigration enforcement, providing multi-year funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol through the end of fiscal year 2029.
The legislation passed 214–212, largely along party lines, using the budget reconciliation process to move forward without Democratic votes. (nhpr.org) The vote ended a lengthy standoff over immigration enforcement funding. NPR reported the impasse lasted 115 days and began after federal officers shot and killed two protesters in Minneapolis earlier this year, prompting Democrats to withhold support for additional money absent changes to enforcement tactics. (nhpr.org) Reuters, however, described the earlier incident as the fatal shootings of two Americans by immigration agents in January. (streetinsider.com) Under the bill, Congress provides ICE with a lump sum described by NPR as more than three times its last annual budget, with comparatively few requirements governing how quickly the money must be spent. The measure sets a deadline of the end of fiscal year 2029 for the funds to be fully used, rather than limiting spending to a single fiscal year. (nhpr.org) The final package also follows Senate action last week. The Senate passed its version 52–47, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting with Democrats against the bill, CBS News reported. (cbsnews.com) Democrats argued that multi-year, lightly conditioned funding would reduce congressional leverage and oversight. In NPR’s account, immigration advocates similarly warned that funneling large sums to the agencies with few strings attached would weaken accountability compared with past appropriations. (nhpr.org)
