Congress Races Against Time to Pass Border Security Funding
The White House recently submitted a proposal to Congress for nearly $14 billion in supplemental border security funding. However, chances are high that the proposal will undergo significant changes as it navigates the House and Senate.
With only a few weeks until recess, it is a race against time for Congress to pass the supplemental measure. A small bipartisan group of six senators, including Democrats Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, as well as Republicans Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and James Lankford of Oklahoma, is currently pushing for a border security package.
However, issues have arisen as Democrats oppose some of the Republicans’ attempts to change asylum requirements and place more limits on humanitarian parole. The Republicans are also advocating for a hard-line immigration bill passed in the House, which has been met with resistance from Democrats.
The White House’s proposal, released on October 20 by President Joe Biden, includes measures to focus on border enforcement, deterrence, and diplomacy. The plan calls for increased hiring of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, expanded resources for Border Patrol agents, additional asylum officers and support staff, and funding for immigration courts to reduce the case backlog.
Notably, the White House request does not include a pathway to citizenship for the 800,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This has sparked further debate and disagreement among lawmakers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to include provisions of H.R. 2, an immigration bill passed by House Republicans in May, in the supplemental aid package. This move has been met with criticism from Senate Democrats, signaling a wide divide on the issue.
Senate Democrats are objecting to including H.R. 2 and opposing the changes that Republicans want to make to the asylum and humanitarian parole system. The negotiations are ongoing, and there is no agreement in the Senate or House at the moment.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has emphasized the need for a bipartisan border security agreement. He aims to hold a vote on the supplemental package as soon as the week of Dec. 4, with hopes of reaching a compromise before the upcoming recess. As the clock ticks, the fate of the border security funding remains uncertain amidst the ongoing negotiations.