WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Appropriations Committee unveiled the last four remaining government funding bills, which would fund Departments and Agencies related to: Homeland Security, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Defense. If Congress can’t reach an agreement by the end of January, there could be another government shutdown. Some Democrats are looking to reduce funding for agencies like ICE following the protests in Minnesota which has captured national attention.
“If we don’t get an agreement by January 30th we’re gonna get another shutdown and nobody wants this,” said Dr. Todd Belt, professor and director of the George Washington University graduate program on political management. “Republicans took most of the blame in the last shutdown, the longest one in US history, but the Democrats are the ones who came to the table, at least some of them. Nobody wants to go back to their constituents who are kind of upset right now on affordability. They want to get this behind them so they can focus on making people’s lives better.”
One of the biggest hot button issues is funding for DHS and agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Following the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman in Minneapolis earlier this month by an ICE officer, Democrats are threatening to push back on DHS funding, including funding for ICE, unless the bill made cuts to the agency and more oversight. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D- CT), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill keeps the overall budget for the agency flat. Adding “I understand that many of my Democratic colleagues may be dissatisfied with any bill that funds ICE. I share their frustration with the out-of-control agency. I encourage my colleagues to review the bill and determine what is best for their constituents and communities.”
Dr. Belt adds there’s been a lot of pressure on Democratic members to defund ICE or abolish the agency.
“But what we’ve got in this bill is a freeze of ICE,” said Dr. Belt. “They’ll keep it the same which is kind of like a funding cut if you consider inflation. Democrats did get a few things they wanted out of this: mandated body cameras as well as more training and independent oversight on detainee sites. So, they got a few of the things they want. They’re not getting rid of ICE but at least it’s not expanding.”
We expect the House to vote on the package later this week. There could be a separate vote on the DHS portion of the package.
