Funding effort for ICE, Border Patrol could begin in Senate next week, majority leader says

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) – Partisan legislation to fund Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement activities through the end of his presidency in January 2029 could begin moving through the U.S. Senate by the end of this month, according to Republican senators and aides.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, is pushing for quick action on a bill that would pave the way for funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol, which are parts of the Department of Homeland Security.

He told reporters on Tuesday the full Senate could begin work “as early as next week.” The Senate is scheduled to begin a week-long recess on May 1.

This year’s annual funding for ICE and Border Patrol has been held up amid a disagreement between congressional Republicans and Democrats over imposing new operating procedures for the two agencies.

REPUBLICANS AIM FOR MAJORITY TO PASS BILL

In a move to get new money approved without Democratic support, Republicans want to use a special Senate procedure allowing bills to pass by a simple majority, instead of support from at least 60 senators in the 100-member Senate that most legislation requires.

Based on recent years’ “base” funding for ICE and Border Patrol, spending over three years could total $50 billion or more.

This would be in addition to well over $100 billion in multi-year funding Republicans won last July, separate from the regular appropriations process.

Thune is seeking a narrow bill that would fend off attempts by some of the 53 Republican senators to add unrelated items.

For example, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told Reuters on Tuesday he wants to attach the “SAVE America Act” that would place new voting restrictions nationwide. It is a bill that Trump has lobbied heavily for in the run-up to the November 3 congressional elections.

“If (other) senators start getting their stuff, I want my stuff, and I think you’ll have most senators feel the way I feel,” Kennedy said.

Republicans say the election-related bill is needed to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote. Democrats oppose it, arguing fraudulent voting in states is extremely rare and that SAVE would end up keeping millions of qualified voters from registering and casting ballots.

Thune fears that attaching SAVE or other unrelated initiatives could doom the entire effort.

Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida wants any new ICE and Border Patrol money to be offset with spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. He said he would wait to see the details of the upcoming legislation before deciding whether he would support or try to block it.

Republicans face a two-step process in moving this legislation through Congress.

The first step is passage of a non-binding budget resolution in the Senate and House of Representatives that works as a framework. It would be followed by a reconciliation bill containing the actual spending that would be signed into law by the president.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan. Editing by Michael Learmonth, Rod Nickel)