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Both conservatives and progressives are venting frustrations with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill expected to get a vote this week, potentially throwing Congress’ goal to avert a government shutdown by Jan. 30 into question.
The bill is part of a bundle of four spending bills the GOP hopes to pass before the end of the week, which also includes funding for the departments of War, Education, Labor and Health and Human Services, among others.
Where progressive Democrats believe the package should include far stronger measures to prevent future confrontations between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and protesters, some Republicans believe the bill doesn’t go far enough to ensure DHS can carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration goals.
Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of the most vocal fiscal and border hawks in the House, said he’s still weighing whether he can support the measure.
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“Everything’s up in the air. If it’s full of garbage, I won’t vote for it,” Burchett said when asked about the full package.
The DHS bill is a product of bipartisan negotiation and includes a handful of safeguards that Democrats argue are necessary after Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot in a deadly encounter with ICE agents in Minnesota earlier this month.
In its current form, the bill requires DHS to equip ICE officers with body cameras, implements new training requirements for how agents should interact with the public, largely keeps last year’s funding flat and even reduces some funding for ICE’s removal operations.
“If it’s going to be a Republican product, it can be improved,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said, though he declined to say if he planned to vote for the bill.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., took issue with language that prevents government agencies from exchanging data on unaccompanied minors.
“Data sharing has to occur,” the top conservative said. “It makes no sense to prohibit data sharing between departments.”
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Harris explained that under current law, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees the status of unaccompanied children who cross the border — contrasting with the vast majority of illegal aliens who are tracked by DHS. He wants the bill to enable DHS and HHS to share information on children.
“We have to protect these children from human traffickers, sex traffickers, abuse — and I’m not sure with that provision in there that we can effectively protect them,” Harris said.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told reporters on Wednesday morning he plans to introduce four amendments that he believes will address some Republican concerns. He declined to describe them but said they would suggest both funding and policy changes.
With the sudden death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., and the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., earlier this month, Republicans can afford to lose just two votes on any party-line consideration.
While it’s unclear if the DHS bill will draw any Democratic support, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of more than 70 lawmakers, made it clear last week they would oppose legislation that didn’t come with meaningful guardrails and reforms on ICE.
Democratic lawmakers like Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., said the current bill falls well short of what she wanted to see.
“I think what we’re seeing right now is a clear lack of leadership and legal barriers or guardrails for the actions of ICE,” Dexter said.
“I will not vote to fund ICE further.”
When asked if she shared concerns voiced by other Democrats that tanking the DHS bill might punish other government operations beyond just ICE, Dexter said she believed lawmakers could consider those areas separately.
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“Obviously, FEMA and TSA and other parts of DHS’ budget would need to be made whole in some regard,” Dexter said, referring to the government’s disaster relief and transportation security operations. “But we have to be realistic about the impact that ICE’s operations are having across this country.”
Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the No. 3 Democrat in the House and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said individual members would have to make their own determinations on the bill.
For his part, Aguilar questioned whether the administration would comply with the new requirements even if they were passed.
“All the guardrails in the world don’t make sense if the administration isn’t going to follow the law and the language that we pass. Members have to take that into account,” Aguilar said. “Ultimately, members are going to vote [for] what’s in the best interest of their districts.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., the deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, announced last week the group would reject spending that didn’t also include substantial guardrails for ICE.
“This week, the House votes on DHS funding. I will not vote to give ICE a single cent. No more blank checks for a rogue agency that operates above the law, escalates violence and erodes our most basic freedoms,” she wrote on X.
She declined to expand on her concerns when asked by Fox News Digital, stating, “I’ve already said what I have to say about this.”
The House is scheduled to consider the DHS funding bill on Thursday.
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