Late Monday night, Senate Republicans announced a funding package to earmark more than $70 billion to protect the American homeland. The package would fund immigration services, training for officers, efforts to combat human and drug trafficking, and security provisions related to President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom.
This is Reconciliation 2.0.
Republicans plan to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through the reconciliation process, beginning in the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee have released the first draft of legislative text, which is expected to reach the floor the week of May 18 to meet the president’s June 1 funding deadline.
“We will work to ensure this critical funding gets signed into law without unnecessary delay,” Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said.
The proposed appropriations would run through Sept. 30, 2029—nearly a year into the next president’s term—with one restriction.
Judiciary Committee
The Judiciary Committee proposed appropriating more than $30 billion to ICE to hire and train personnel. The funding would also support deportations, improved body cameras for agents, coordination and cooperation with states, and legal staffing costs, including attorneys.
This is on top of the $75 billion the agency received last year from the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The Judiciary Committee also proposed $3.4 billion for hiring and training Customs and Border Protection agents, as well as an additional $2.5 billion for ICE and CBP operations.
An additional $1.45 billion is earmarked for the Department of Justice and the attorney general to support the National Security Division on terrorism. The funding would also support the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration in combating drug trafficking, child trafficking, and fraud.
The final directive would provide $1 billion to the U.S. Secret Service for security costs related to the East Wing Modernization Project, commonly referred to as Trump’s ballroom. The funding is restricted to security-related costs only, within the White House fence, above or below ground.
More ICE Funding in Homeland Security
A separate Homeland Security bill proposes additional funding for ICE and CBP. Committee members proposed nearly $20 billion to hire and train border agents. This funding could not be spent after Oct. 31, 2028.
The proposal also includes $7.45 billion for ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents, including new border security screening technology.
Another $3.45 billion is earmarked for new artificial intelligence equipment to combat drugs entering or leaving the country, air surveillance upgrades, and initial screening of children to prevent child trafficking or protect unaccompanied minors crossing the border.
None of the funding could be used for untested AI surveillance towers along the border. An additional $2.5 billion would be granted for these operations.
The bills, which will be marked up once Congress returns next week, is already facing pushback from Democrats.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said in a statement that Democrats are prepared to “vigorously challenge any provision that violates the Byrd Rule.”
Many of these agencies have been left unfunded since February, after Democrats refused to support funding for immigration services and Border Patrol.
Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson managed to fund all Department of Homeland Security components unrelated to immigration enforcement, including the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Republicans announced then their plan to fund immigration enforcement separately through reconciliation.
