House Republicans Pass $70 Billion Immigration Funding Bill
House Republicans approved a $70 billion spending measure on Tuesday that funds immigration enforcement agencies through the end of Donald Trump's presidential term, resolving a months-long dispute with Democrats that had previously forced a government shutdown.
The Secure America Act passed 214-212, largely along party lines, with only one Republican-aligned independent and all Democrats voting against it. The Senate had approved the bill the previous week. It allocates $38 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion to Customs and Border Protection, and $5 billion to the Department of Homeland Security through September 2029. The bill now awaits Trump's signature.
House Speaker Mike Johnson framed the passage as a Republican victory, stating: "With today's vote, House and Senate Republicans have officially ended the third Democrat government shutdown of this Congress." He argued that Democrats had achieved nothing through their shutdown strategy and suggested it demonstrated voter rejection of Democratic immigration policies.
The legislation ends a funding blockade that Democrats initiated in January following the deaths of two US citizens killed by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The Democratic boycott forced the Department of Homeland Security to shut down for 75 days beginning in mid-February. The agency reopened in late April after Democrats agreed to fund all DHS operations except the two immigration enforcement agencies. Republicans then moved to secure permanent funding for ICE and CBP, arguing it would prevent future Democratic shutdowns.
House Democrats unanimously opposed the bill. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it a "blank check to ICE without any guardrails, any oversight, any accountability." Republicans countered these criticisms by accusing Democrats of attempting to undermine law enforcement. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stated: "You vote no, you are voting to defund the police. Those are the people, the law enforcement officers, risking their lives to keep our community safe."
The bill's passage represents an achievement for Johnson, who leads a historically narrow Republican majority, and for Trump. The legislation faced complications from Trump's proposed "anti-weaponization" fund, which would provide financial settlements to Trump allies. Shortly before passage, lawmakers rejected a Democratic amendment that would have blocked payments to anyone convicted of assaulting police during the January 6 Capitol riot.
The spending bill was also delayed by controversy over a proposed $1 billion allocation for security improvements at a ballroom Trump is constructing at the White House. Senate Republicans ultimately removed those funds after the chamber's parliamentarian ruled they could not be included while using budget reconciliation procedures to bypass the Democratic filibuster.