Republicans are running out of time to pass President Donald Trump’s agenda and tackle the affordability crisis as the midterm elections inch closer.
With the midterms looming, Republicans have struggled to pass several policy agendas, including funding immigration enforcement, addressing affordability and adding voter identification requirements. Republicans are on a time crunch to address the hot-button issues for voters, including the economy and immigration, before they cast their ballots in November.
The Senate has 53 days in session before November, while the House has about 40.
A second reconciliation package aimed at funding immigration enforcement will not reach Trump’s desk by his June 1 deadline, leaving Senate Republicans scrambling to pass the package once they return from Memorial Day recess. Republicans are uncertain on how to handle the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion fund that would pay people alleging the justice system was “weaponized” against them, as many senators intended to use the package to restrict the fund.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his colleagues wanted to place conditions on who could receive the fund payments, adding that he did not see a need for this fund. Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy claimed the fund would allow Trump to hand payments to people without any “legal precedent or accountability,” while Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said the fund would “compensate people who assaulted Capitol Police officers.” (RELATED: Here Are All The Times Congressional Lawmakers Gave Themselves A Vacation In Past Year)
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York also introduced legislation on May 21 to prohibit the use of taxpayer money for the fund.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 18: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to the media after the vote on the government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol on September 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Republicans appear hopeful they can get reconciliation passed before the midterms, with Republican North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer telling Semafor that passing the package “is way too important not to do.”
The package would provide over $30.73 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $22.57 billion to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and $2.5 billion in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations through 2029. Senate Republicans drafted the legislation in response to the 76-day shutdown of DHS after Democrats refused to fund the agency following high-profile shootings involving immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in January.
The package faced more hurdles because of Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who ruled that four sections violated the Byrd Rule, which dictates that provisions in a reconciliation bill must have a direct, non-incidental impact on the federal budget. The impacted provisions involved funding for Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security appropriations and additional funds to screen unaccompanied migrant children.