Republicans are gearing up for a critical House vote on a $1.2 trillion spending package planned for Thursday, featuring funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Speaker Mike Johnson worked overnight to address concerns from Midwestern Republicans, who expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed spending. The House Rules Committee advanced two essential spending bills by a vote of 9-4, aimed at preventing a government shutdown set to begin on January 30.
Despite the compromise that has quelled some dissent within the party, provisions concerning funding for ICE continue to draw criticism from both progressives and conservatives. One of the bills focuses on funding the departments of War, Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, while the other centers on DHS, including ICE.
Ahead of the vote, concerns mounted as around 20 Republican lawmakers threatened to derail the package during a critical procedural vote. Their demand? To allow year-round sales of E15 ethanol, which is currently restricted due to Environmental Protection Agency regulations as outlined in the Clean Air Act. Johnson announced an agreement with this faction to create the E15 Domestic Energy Council. “It’s a very positive development,” he remarked after discussions with his colleagues, indicating that the working group would include not just members of Congress but also industry stakeholders. This council aims to reconcile the region’s energy demands with existing environmental protections.
The proposed funding has faced hurdles, particularly around a procedural vote known as a “rule vote,” where the entire House will decide on the viability of the bills for debate. These votes generally split along party lines, and Johnson can only afford to lose two GOP votes for the legislation to proceed.
As the government shutdown deadline approaches, questions linger about Republican unity regarding various aspects of the proposed funding. Many conservatives have raised issues with new ICE requirements pushed by Democrats, which include mandates for body cameras and increased training for ICE agents. Some of these provisions aim to keep funding stable compared to FY2025 levels but have fallen short of Democratic expectations. Following a fatal incident involving ICE agents in Minnesota, Democrats have expressed that the legislation lacks sufficient measures to constrain ICE’s actions.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar expressed disappointment, stating, “All the guardrails in the world don’t make sense if the administration isn’t going to follow the law and the language that we pass.” He added that members will ultimately vote based on what they believe serves their districts’ best interests.
Attempts have been made by Democrats to infuse left-leaning priorities into the legislation, exemplified during the House Rules Committee meeting where amendments were proposed. These included stipulations preventing any funding from being allocated for military actions against NATO allies or interventions in Venezuela, a response to prior military initiatives under Trump’s administration. Additionally, symbolic amendments aimed to reduce Secretary of DHS Kristi Noem’s salary to a dollar or suggest eliminating funding for the agency altogether—though these were not incorporated into the final bill.
This unfolding situation indicates the complex balancing act that House leadership must undertake amid pressures from various factions within the party. As the procedural vote approaches, the fate of this significant spending package will largely depend on whether Johnson can maintain party cohesion against a backdrop of dissent and competing priorities.
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