House moves to finish government funding as Democrats decry Homeland Security bill

WASHINGTON– The House will seek to pass the final tranche of this year’s spending bills on Thursday, an effort that is complicated by Democratic lawmakers’ concerns that the measure funding the Department of Homeland Security does not adequately address President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

The House has already passed eight of the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies and programs. If the final four bills pass Thursday, action would then move to the Senate, with final passage needed before the Jan. 30 deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown.

House Democratic leaders Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Rep. Pete Aguilar of California announced in a closed-door meeting that they would oppose the homeland security bill. Their members are demanding a tough stance in response to the Republican president’s immigration crackdown, the most recent focused in the Minneapolis area, where more than 2,000 agents are stationed and where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good, a mother of three.

“There is a very big concern that ICE is out of control,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a ranking Democratic lawmaker on the House Appropriations Committee.

But Democrats have few good options for expressing opposition. DeLauro said passing a resolution to fund Homeland Security at current levels for the remainder of the budget year would cede spending decisions to Trump. There is also little appetite for another lockdown, even if it would only affect part of the federal government.

“We need to do a lot more to get DHS under control, which I will continue to push for. But the hard truth is that Democrats need to win political power to enact the kind of accountability we need,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

This year’s Homeland Security bill keeps spending for ICE roughly flat compared to the previous year. It also restricts Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s ability to unilaterally transfer funds and allocate federal dollars as she sees fit.

“That’s not all we wanted. We wanted more oversight. But, look, Democrats don’t control the House. We don’t control the Senate or the White House. But we were able to add some homeland oversight,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, a member of the Appropriations Committee. He said he intended to vote for the bill.

But most Democrats who emerged from the closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday had a different view.

“I never support lawless operations,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.

“If it’s the status quo, I’m no,” said Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill.

DeLauro and Cuellar made a presentation on the bill to House Democrats during their closed-door meeting. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said she explained to her colleagues why she thought it was a mistake. Others who spoke out agreed, she said.

“I think it’s a really horrible time, and people understand what’s at stake,” Jayapal said. “We can’t treat this like it’s something else. Our eyes don’t lie to us.”

She said additional funds for body cameras and other changes were insufficient. The bill provides $20 million to be used for ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers when conducting enforcement actions.

She said she told colleagues, “No one should try to sell this as an improvement. It’s not an improvement.”

But some Democrats in key districts will likely see campaign ads targeting them if they vote against the Homeland Security funding bill. The House Republicans’ campaign arm issued press releases Wednesday targeting about two dozen Democrats, saying they “will do anything to appease supporters of ‘defund ICE,’ even if it means risking national security.”

Meanwhile, liberal advocacy groups are also applying pressure, saying Congress must take clear and immediate action to rein in the department.

“The DHS bill that has been released clearly falls short and should be roundly rejected. All Democrats should vote against this funding bill, and Democratic leaders in both chambers should actively lead their caucus in opposition,” said Andrew O’Neill, national advocacy director for the group Indivisible.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was optimistic about passing the funding bills, including the homeland security measure. He can afford a few defections given the very slim majority of the Republican Party.

“All we do is win,” Johnson said.

The overall funding plan submitted to the House on Thursday contains about $1.2 trillion in spending. About two-thirds of this sum will go to the Ministry of Defense.

Other departments funded through this program include health and human services, education, transportation, housing and urban development. Most federal spending is unaffected by annual battles in Congress, particularly over Social Security and Medicare.