APPROPRIATIONS vs. Border Battle Comes in like a Lion…..and goes out like a Lamb
For all the build up with continuing resolutions, ladders, minibuses and strong words, the House of Representatives quietly passed the remaining appropriations bills with NO POLICY CHANGES, NO BORDER CONTROLS, and WITH AN INCREASE in legal immigration.
Poll after poll of the American voters show over and over that immigration and the border crisis is their number one issue of concern. See Gallup Poll as example, How can this be that the most notable aspect of the DHS appropriations bill is to increase the number of visas for Afghans by 12,000 (effectively increasing legal immigration by 54,000 when counting their spouses and children), not to mention the long-term effects of chain migration?
The simple answer is that those elected to Congress believe that shutting down the government will cost them in the ballot box even when the issue of a border crisis has caused immigration to be the number one concern of American voters. Do they have good reason to think this? Some argue that is a false perception not a current reality. See Ballot Box Penalty for Shutting Down Govt.
Still, Speaker Johnson has indicated openly he will not shut down the government. He has also indicated that the American people are best served by moving the border battle from the appropriations process to supplemental funding for Ukraine. At NumbersUSA, we will continue to score votes by Congress as they are, either adding to or detracting from the total number of immigrants, legal or illegal, they allow into the country. We will also continue to give you, our members, the tools to make your voice heard.
Congress Moves to Fund the Border Crisis
Today, the House voted in favor of a minibus that contains the remaining 6 appropriations bills for the remainder of the fiscal year. In the early hours of Thursday morning, the more than 1,000 page bill dropped, giving the House of Representatives a single day to read all of it, despite a House rule requiring 72 hours.
That bill funds the Department of Homeland Security, but makes no policy changes that would help to end the border crisis. In addition, it adds 12,000 Afghans to the existing Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) category. This doesn't just fail to stop the border crisis- it fully funds it.
The Republicans were split nearly down the middle, and 22 Democrats joined to vote no, but more than ⅔ of the House voted to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
While this represents a near total abdication of Congress's responsibility to stop the border crisis, many brave Members of Congress opposed it because of its lack of helpful border security provisions. We'll have actions up as soon as the vote tally is made public so you can thank those that voted against it, and express disappointment to those that handed Secretary Mayorkas a blank check.
The Senate will take the bill up over the weekend.
Assuming the government is fully funded this weekend, Congress will be leaving town for two weeks of recess. We don't anticipate any floor action, but be on the lookout for opportunities to message your Members of Congress to cosponsor our Great Solutions when they return.
There's still one more chance for Congress to address the border crisis. Many in Congress are pushing for a supplemental funding package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and many Congressmen and Senators have vowed that they won't vote for that package without substantive change on the border. If you haven't already, check your Action Board and insist that Congress use this opportunity to pass H.R. 2 and stop the border crisis.
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