Several House Republicans have threatened to vote against funding the government if a recent deal between Democrats and Republicans to do so doesn’t include border security measures.
On Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced a deal to fund the government for the remainder of 2024 at levels agreed to by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. The deal has been poorly received by conservative members of the House of Representatives, who have suggested that they will vote to shut down the government if the spending is not accompanied by efforts to prevent illegal immigration across the United States’ southern border with Mexico. (RELATED: Mike Johnson And Chuck Schumer Reach Government Funding Deal, But Some Republicans Are Reportedly ‘Pissed’)
“SHUT DOWN THE BORDER OR SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT. Democrats are shamelessly lying to the American people by claiming the border is secure — all while streamlining a criminal invasion. SHUT IT DOWN,” wrote Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona on Twitter, now known as X. That statement was re-posted by Republican Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Matt Gaetz of Florida. Crane, Biggs and Gaetz were three of eight members who voted in October to remove McCarthy from office over a temporary spending deal he struck with Biden to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September.
No one in Congress has a bill that enhances our border security more than me. Trust me, I’ve checked.
My Dignity Act allocates $35 billion to seal our border while updating our legal immigration system to meet the economy’s needs.
No half solutions here. Only meaningful reform. pic.twitter.com/RwHA51jyDP
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) January 8, 2024
“I have zero interest in funding a Biden Administration actively removing our national borders,” wrote Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas on Twitter. “Funding the government should be contingent on the president signing H.R. 2, or its functional equivalent, into law,” he added.
“Rep. Burchett believes this harms the border security cause,” said his spokesperson, Rachel Partlow, in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Partlow added Burchett was “still pondering” whether to support Johnson’s removal from office over the deal.
Roy and Burchett are members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of 45 House Republicans who take strong conservative positions on most issues before the body. “At some point, having the House majority has to matter. Stop funding this spending with an open border!” wrote Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, the caucus’ new chairman, on Twitter.
“While these final spending levels will not satisfy everyone, and they do not cut as much spending as many of us would like, this deal does provide us a path to: 1) move the process forward; 2) reprioritize funding within the topline towards conservative objectives,” wrote Johnson in a letter provided by his office to the DCNF.
“This $1.6 Trillion dollar budget agreement does nothing to secure the border, stop the invasion,” wrote Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Twitter. Green indicated that she would be voting against the proposal in its current form. “If Biden won’t shut down the border invasion, Congress must shut down the corrupt government that is funding it!” wrote Republican Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, another member, on Twitter.
Senate and House Republicans have already withheld support for further U.S. aid to Ukraine unless conservative border security proposals are approved by the Democratic-led Senate, for which negotiations are ongoing. Senators aimed to reach a deal on the matter before the end of 2023, but failed to do so.
In Fiscal Year 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended over 2.3 million illegal immigrants along the southern border, according to government data. In Fiscal Year 2023, that number increased to nearly 2.5 million, while over 483,000 arrived during the first two months of Fiscal Year 2024.
The increase in illegal crossings has prompted Republicans to accuse the Biden administration of deliberate neglect of U.S. immigration laws and specifically targeted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who has faced five attempts at impeachment in the House. A new impeachment inquiry, backed by House Republican leaders, is ongoing.
“The number one priority is the border,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Fox News when asked about the spending deal. “I think we have to [risk a shutdown for border security]. That’s what the American people demand.”
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