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House conservatives are pushing for House Speaker Mike Johnson to stop President Biden’s “open border” policies with the federal funding bill that Congress has to pass before a Friday deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Congress has passed six appropriations bills in the form of a “minibus” spending package to fund certain cabinet agencies but both the House and Senate still have to pass another package to fund the remaining agencies.
“The next government appropriations package funds multiple avenues Biden exploits to release millions into America,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., and more than 40 GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter on Monday to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and their Republican colleagues.
“From [the Department of Homeland Security’s] abuse of laws to ‘release’ under parole and asylum, to the United Nations and [nongovernmental organizations] facilitating the trafficking of humans — the abuse can be checked, if the House of Representatives exercises its constitutional duty,” they added.
Good and the group of lawmakers said that House GOP leaders should include the “core elements” of the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2) that the House passed back in May.
The bill would increase the “civil penalties for unlawful entry into the United States and [establish] criminal penalties for overstaying a visa” and “[limit] the authority of DHS to grant parole (temporary admission into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit that is granted on a case-by-case basis).”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hasn’t put the bill up for a vote. The GOP lawmakers urged all Republicans to vote against the funding package if it doesn’t include increased efforts to secure the border derived from H.R. 2.
“How many more American lives must be lost at the hands of an illegal alien – like 22-year-old student Laken Riley?” the lawmakers wrote to Johnson and their GOP colleagues. “How much more power must we see given to China, terrorists, and cartels resulting in how many more deaths of Americans – including those poisoned by fentanyl? At some point, border security has to be more than something aspirational that we simply message on.”
Cody Sargent, communications director for Heritage Action, called on House Republicans to “hold the line” in the face of a possible government shutdown on Friday if a federal funding package isn’t passed by the end of the day.
“The Biden admin wants more money for DHS to: accelerate catch-and-release / mass parole, bailout sanctuary cities and NGOs fueling the crisis,” Sargent wrote on his X account. “Conservatives want to: defund NGOs and sanctuary cities, fund enforcement and detention to stop the flow. Hold the line.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked on Monday about the debate brewing among House Democrats and Republicans over the contents of the DHS provisions in the funding package.
“I’m not going to talk about reporting regarding ongoing negotiations. Going to be super careful talking from the podium here. One thing that I will make clear is that, look, DHS needs a bill that adequately funds operational pace,” Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing at the White House. “We have seen that during this past fiscal year, that that is what the administration is fighting for. We want to make sure that they have the operational funding to do the job that they need to be doing and that is what I can say.”
A GOP congressional source familiar with the appropriations negotiations told Just the News that Sargent’s post captures the essence of what conservative Republicans are trying to get GOP leadership to adopt.
Given that the negotiations are ongoing, congressional leaders have not publicly released the legislative text of the spending package.
“We are focused, certainly, on reaching an agreement. As you know, the — the shutdown is set for this coming Friday, and we want to get — certainly get to a place where we have — again, DHS has what it needs to have the operational — continue the operational pace that they’ve been having,” said Jean-Pierre.
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