House passes funding for ICE, CBP, tees up DHS reopening

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

The U.S. House of Representatives, in a 215-211 vote, approved on Wednesday night a budget resolution that would fund immigration enforcement until the end of President Donald Trump’s administration and set up a route to reopen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

The House approved up to $140 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection that was passed by the U.S. Senate last week. Funding for ICE and CBP has been a flash point between Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the fight to reopen DHS. 

House Republican leaders narrowly passed the legislation after more than five hours of voting. Rep Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., voted present on the budget resolution. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been left without Congressionally appropriated funds since Feb. 14. The provision of funds for immigration enforcement will allow the remainder of DHS to be funded through the typical appropriations process and fully reopen the agency.

House Republicans hailed the bill as a measure to restore funding for DHS and ensure consistent funding for immigration enforcement.

“We put forward this budget resolution with reconciliation instructions to fund the people’s homeland security, to protect our citizens, and to do right by these hard working, God-fearing public servants that go to work every day not knowing if they're going to come home,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas.

House Democrats and budget watchdogs have fiercely opposed the reconciliation bill. Democrats called for meaningful reforms to ICE and CBP before funding can be restored. 

“No more funding until they transform, reform and retain commonsensical law enforcement protocols and procedures,” Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., said.

Budget watchdogs said the price tag is too large to justify over the period of time. 

“The budget process is already badly broken, and this resolution would make it worse by using reconciliation to sidestep the regular appropriations process and put even more spending on autopilot,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement.

House Republicans admitted they would prefer to fund the Department of Homeland Security through a typical appropriations process, but said Democrats demanded “impossible” reforms. Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, pointed to the attack at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on Saturday and the U.S. conflict with Iran to justify immediately returning to normal spending levels for the department.

“We cannot restrict resources at a time like this, especially amid recent threats to White House officials and national security concerns,” Moore said. “Congress should not play with the livelihoods of service members in the Coast Guard [and] Transportation Security Agency.”