Speaker Mike Johnson will need near perfect attendance and unity on his side to complete weeks of action on the bill.
The bill is focused entirely on immigration enforcement, a topic that Republicans have treated as a defining issue between the two major political parties and one they hope will carry them to victory in this year's midterm elections. The bill provides $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs, fueling Trump's deportation agenda.
“It's long overdue,” said Johnson, R-La., of the bill. “We have to fund border security and immigration enforcement, and it's sad that Republicans have to do it on our own.”
The funding comes on top of the nearly $140 billion that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and Customs and Border Protection last year as part of Trump's tax and spending cuts.
Democrats objected to giving the agencies more money without significant changes in the way they operate such as unmasking agents and forcing them to display their ID badges. Those suggestions have been rejected out of concern for the safety of the agents and their families.
