This week, the House and Senate moved an important piece of legislation to uphold the fidelity to our laws and national boundaries. The Biden administration’s loose border security enforcement harmed our national security, economic growth, and personal safety. The Left has fought hard to continue those dangerous policies despite strong disagreement from the American people. This week, Congress finally restored the funding and resources needed to continue the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the border.
Under the Biden administration, over two million border encounters occurred each year. Illegal immigrants were flooding into the United States with little to no oversight by the federal government. Unaccompanied children were showing up in droves and being released to unvetted sponsors. Biden’s Department of Homeland Security lost track of 300,000 of these children who could have easily been left in the hands of human traffickers.
Comparing the statistics between the Biden and Trump administrations on arrests, detentions, and removals is quite enlightening. In the last three years of the Biden administration, over 100,000 arrests were made compared to the nearly 27,000 arrests under the Trump administration last year. Detentions were also much higher under the Biden administration, toppling over 200,000 per year, compared to Trump’s nearly 70,000 detentions. Yet while the Biden administration was busy wrestling some of the criminal aliens they allowed inside the U.S., they were barely deporting them. Now under the Trump administration, zero illegal aliens have been released into the U.S. which has significantly decreased the arrests and detentions that need to be made from daily border crossings. Instead, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can focus on removing those who came in during the previous administration.
When President Trump assumed office last year, cleaning up the illegal immigration problem was a priority. He made deporting the worst of the worst criminal aliens a top strategy. Democrats, however, have fought this agenda every step of the way. At the end of last year, Democrats refused to vote for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). After a 43-day shutdown, the Senate removed the ICE and CBP funding to reopen other parts of DHS. These two entities went without funding until this week, although federal workers got paid because the Administration was able to ‘borrow’ some money from other funds to cover the salaries.
The House and Senate decided to use the reconciliation process to restore ICE and CBP funding to overcome the filibuster by Democrats in the Senate. Reconciliation allows Congress to adjust mandatory spending levels with only a simple majority (51 votes) in the Senate. In order for this to take place, both chambers must agree on a budget that instructs certain committees to begin the reconciliation process. After passing the budget, the reconciliation bill goes through the typical process of being drafted, amended in committee, and placed on the floor for a vote. The Senate has additional limitations on the contents of the bill; for example, the bill can only contain provisions that are fiscal in nature. The Senate Parliamentarian has the final say in whether or not a policy can remain in the bill at the 51-vote threshold.
With the intention to keep the Reconciliation 2.0 bill focused on only ICE and CBP, it seemed like a simple, cut-and-dried path to getting it enacted. However, a couple of additions caused some in-fighting and threatened its ability to get passed. The first request was $1 billion for “security adjustments and upgrades” to the East Wing of the White House. This money was to be spent on building the underground bunker and other security measures. Current construction has already been started, but it is on hold due to a Court ruling that said the White House needed Congressional approval before they can continue. An amendment to approve the ballroom was offered on the Senate floor but failed when 6 Republicans voted with Democrats.
The second provision would have set up a pool of money at the Department of Justice (DOJ) called the 1776 Anti-Weaponization Fund. There already exists a settlement fund at the DOJ that was set up by Congress in the past. The new money for anti-weaponization cases was born out of a settlement from when the Trumps sued the IRS for $10 billion for illegally releasing their tax returns. They settled the case with the DOJ, which agreed to pay them $1.776 billion. Trump then announced that instead of taking the money, he would have the DOJ set up an account to pay settlements to those who were wronged by the DOJ in the past. Recipients could include individuals who were wrongly jailed during the January 6th riots at the Capitol or pro-lifers who were arrested for simply praying or standing outside of abortion clinics. The DOJ moved forward on it before any vote took place but sought codification of the fund. Some Republicans were unhappy with the lack of oversight provisions in the proposal. Ultimately, the fund was left out of the reconciliation bill because of too many objections.
After a 19-hour vote-a-rama, the Senate passed Reconciliation 2.0, officially named the Secure America Act (S. 2), late last week by a vote of 52-47. The House then took it up this week and passed it by a vote of 214-212. The bill includes $70 billion for ICE and CBP for the next three years. The President signed it into law on Tuesday.
Some Republicans are pushing hard for a third reconciliation bill before the end of the year. Since Reconciliation 2.0 was so narrow, conservatives are asking for another bite at the apple to include their issues. The top priority is to continue the moratorium on federal funding of abortion giants, including Planned Parenthood, that was included in the One Big, Beautiful Bill. The funding ban expires on July 4, 2026. In addition, House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) has publicly called for additional tax provisions, House Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger (R-TX) is vying for affordability measures, and Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) is eyeing more defense funding. The House has more of an appetite for a Reconciliation 3.0, but the verdict is still out in the Senate.
This Fidelity Month, we are pleased that our Republican House and Senate members are voting in favor of provisions that show faithfulness to our borders and our national sovereignty. Eagle Forum has been talking with House and Senate members to also push for a third reconciliation package to save more unborn babies. Congress must find a way, despite the Democrats’ opposition, to continue the ban on abortion funding. Keep an eye out for more information and alerts as more legislation begins to move by signing up for our emails here. Join us in Nashville for Eagle Council 54 to learn more about immigration and pro-life priorities and what YOU can do to make a difference. Registration is OPEN here.