A major Republican-backed funding package aimed at bolstering immigration enforcement cleared a key hurdle in the House on Tuesday, moving President Donald Trump closer to securing border and enforcement resources through the remainder of his term.
According to Fox News, the measure, which provides roughly $70 billion for immigration enforcement and border security efforts, advanced in a procedural vote that split largely along party lines.
The motion passed 213-211, with Democrats present opposing the bill.
The legislation, already approved by the Senate, now heads toward a final House vote that could come as soon as Tuesday evening.
House Republicans, who hold only a narrow majority, spent part of the day working to secure enough support from within their own conference after some conservatives initially raised concerns about the package.
Several GOP lawmakers argued that while funding enforcement agencies is important, Congress should also permanently enact Trump’s immigration and border policies into law.
“We need to codify what the president has done across the board,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told reporters Tuesday. “So we’re going to fund the people who will try to keep the bad guys out, but we haven’t codified the actions to prevent them to do to come back here in three years or so.”
After discussions with Republican leadership, those lawmakers ultimately voted to move the bill forward.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., urged support for the measure, saying, “We need to fully fund this department, especially at a time of heightened security threats.”
The Senate approved the legislation last week in a mostly party-line vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats in opposing the bill.
Republicans have spent months seeking additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Democrats opposed the effort unless it included broader reforms and oversight measures.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., criticized the proposal, saying, “Giving a $70 billion blank check to ICE, who has a history of brutalizing, terrorizing communities, killing U.S. citizens, is not what we should be doing.”
“Those agencies need accountability and oversight. We should not be giving them more resources without also conditioning accountability,” Aguilar added.
The debate over funding contributed to a lengthy government shutdown before Republican leaders ultimately turned to the budget reconciliation process, allowing them to advance the measure without Democratic support.
The legislation also sparked disagreement among Republicans over provisions, including President Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.”
Some conservatives worried that individuals convicted of violent offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot could potentially benefit from the program.
Democrats, meanwhile, criticized the proposal as a political “slush fund.”
Another point of contention involved $1 billion for security improvements connected to the president’s ballroom project at the White House. Some Republicans opposed including the funding, noting Trump has previously said the East Wing expansion would be financed through private donations.
With the procedural vote complete, Republicans appeared poised to send the measure to Trump’s desk if it wins final House approval.
