Three key Republicans in the House are breaking from President Donald Trump's strategy to pass funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in the latest complication to a process already rife with disagreement.
According to Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman, "House Republicans are increasingly ignoring the Trump White House. First they scoffed at Trump's 18-month clean extension of FISA. Now top House Republicans are pushing to EXPAND the reconciliation package."
The three committee chairs demanding a larger package include House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-OH), House Budget Committee chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX), and House Ways and Means Committee chair Jason Smith (R-MO).
This flies in the face of Trump's ask to pass a "skinny" reconciliation bill that solely covers ICE and Customs and Border Protection, the two aspects of the Department of Homeland Security Democrats refuse to fund without substantial oversight and civil rights reforms.
The Senate already passed such a resolution by a narrow 50-48 vote, with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rand Paul (R-KY) opposed.
"Senate Majority Leader John Thune told us he doesn’t have assurances from Speaker Mike Johnson that the House will take up the resolution in its current form. But Thune argued that Senate Republicans’ action Thursday morning should push House GOP leaders to finally take up the broader DHS funding bill," noted the Punchbowl report. "'It didn’t seem like this should be that heavy a lift,' Thune lamented. 'But nothing is easy these days.'"
