Senate Panel Advances Immigration Enforcement Funding Package

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved its portion of a multiyear immigration enforcement funding package on Tuesday. The committee passed the measure by an 8-7 party-line vote, sending it to the Senate Budget Committee, which is scheduled to vote on Wednesday.

The panel's updated portion provides $23 billion of the total funding. U.S. S. 5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to spend on immigration enforcement as it sees fit.

5 million to be spent on Homeland Security Investigations to hire more investigators and forensics analysts to support the identification and rescue of child sexual exploitation victims. 6 billion. The funding reduction was not explained during the markup, but a committee aide told The Washington Times the money will be shifted to the Judiciary Committee’s portion of the bill.

Republicans are using the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process to fund ICE and the border patrol functions of CBP because Democrats would not support funding the agencies through the annual appropriations process, which led to a record 76-day shutdown of DHS. The funding is meant to last through the end of Mr. Trump’s presidency to prevent similar fights in the next three years.

“This committee will not let Senate Democrats block paychecks for our border patrol and other law enforcement. We will not let them shut down inspections for fentanyl, weapons or nuclear material. U.S. citizens protesting enforcement actions in Minnesota early this year. , May 19, 2026 (The Washington Times)”

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s portion of the bill is still being tweaked and will be added on the floor.