GOP Races To Pass ICE, CBP Funding As Priorities Pile Up, Iran War Continues

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham suggested Republicans may pursue multiple reconciliation bills to avoid crowding too many priorities into one package. He said one bill could focus on border and immigration funding, with another expected later in the year targeting fraud and waste. “We want to do it quick — ICE, Border Patrol — fund it as much as you can, multi-year,” Graham said. “Then there’s another one coming in the fall, and that’s going to be about going after fraud.” House Republicans have already discussed a follow-up package, sometimes referred to as “reconciliation 2.0,” that could include additional policy priorities beyond immigration. However, proposals that do not directly impact federal spending could be ruled out under Senate reconciliation rules.

The Republican Study Committee has also pushed to include measures addressing affordability and funding for national security. Lawmakers said they want to balance advancing the president’s agenda with keeping the bill viable under Senate guidelines. Some Republicans have floated adding the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, but that effort faces significant hurdles given unified Democratic opposition. The legislation also may not qualify under reconciliation rules, which limit provisions to those directly tied to budgetary impacts.