The agreement reached this week between Johnson, President Biden and Senate Democrats includes a ban on funding for the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians and increased spending on security at the U.S.-Mexico border, two people familiar with the matter said. This included the following priorities: The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
“I think the final product is one where we were able to achieve a number of important provisions, and we were able to win and move in the direction that we wanted, even with a historically small majority,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. ” he said.
Both chambers are expected to approve the spending package, but the vote may still be too late to prevent a brief partial government shutdown early in the weekend. MPs have spent so long negotiating that Johnson may have to circumvent certain rules in the House of Commons to force the bill into law. Otherwise, we risk suffering the political consequences of a government shutdown, even for a short period of time.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that he plans to introduce amendments to reduce spending when the bill reaches the Senate, likely further delaying the process. She told The Washington Post that forcing a discussion about what she considers excessive spending would be worth causing a government shutdown.
Congressional leaders had hoped to release the text of the law on Wednesday, but many acknowledged privately that it could spill over into Thursday, narrowing their options to keep the government running. ing.Measures will go together It combines six annual spending bills, or expenditures, into one big package. This month, Congress passed and Biden signed six funding bills totaling $459 billion.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) said Wednesday that “if Rand Paul insists on using his ability to stop things, the result will almost certainly be a government shutdown.” he said in an agitated manner.
The bill comes surprisingly late in Congress' budget planning. Half of fiscal year 2024 is over.but According to the Pew Research Center, Congress has not passed all 12 spending bills on time since 1997, often relying instead on stopgap funding bills called continuing resolutions (CRs).
Even if Congress can't finish the job by Saturday's deadline, still action The impact of the closure may be minimal until Monday morning. In any case, many federal employees in cash-strapped agencies will take the weekend off. But if the shutdown drags on, more than half of IRS employees could face furloughs during the height of tax filing season.Active military personnel (approximately 1.3 million people) and Border Patrol agents They will continue to work without pay. So did Transportation Security Administration inspectors, many of whom made sick calls in protest after the previous shutdown lasted weeks and caused travel delays across the country.
“No one wants a shutdown. No one should cause a shutdown. Let's come together and get this done,” said Democratic lead negotiator Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.). . “I apologize for the former kindergarten teacher in me, but the lesson I want you all to learn as we pass these last six bills is: to listen to each other, not the loudest voices on the far right, And if we listen to the American people, we can: Work together to actually pass meaningful legislation that will help people return home. ”
A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emerged as the biggest hurdle to the spending plan, leading to even bigger battles between the White House and Johnson over southern border security operations and large-scale immigration policies.
The bill increases funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is facing a budget shortfall, to support about 42,000 detention facility beds and provide funding for 22,000 Border Patrol agents. This will happen, officials said.
One DHS official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement information, said an increase in bed capacity would not necessarily mean ICE has more than 34,000 beds. He said that doesn't necessarily mean ICE will be able to take in more detainees. It was funded.
DHS officials expect a seasonal increase in illegal immigration this spring, and ICE may not have enough funds to ramp up deportations, officials said. A second DHS official warned that the agency will likely need additional funding, money the Biden administration requested in the fall.
The Homeland Security bill would cut U.S. funding by 20% to non-governmental organizations that provide services to new arrivals. Lawmakers who want to restrict immigration argue that nonprofit groups encourage immigrants to enter the country illegally by giving them a soft landing in the U.S. and giving them easier access to legal help and jobs.
Upstate cities, including New York, have taken steps in recent months to make it harder for migrants to stay in city-funded hotel rooms and shelters for long periods of time.
Democrats argued they won because the DHS bill would not fund border wall construction or reinstate harsh Trump-era immigration restrictions, officials said.
But Johnson and the Republican Party also touted a State Department funding bill that would bar federal funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for 12 months, people familiar with the deal confirmed. . Israel has accused some of its employees of involvement in an Oct. 7 attack by the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip that killed about 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage. A US intelligence assessment reportedly verified some of Israel's claims regarding UNRWA.
The bill would not prevent the U.S. from providing aid to the Palestinians through other organizations, officials said. Humanitarian aid to civilians suffering from the ongoing war has become a key dividing line between Democrats and Republicans. Liberals are pressuring Biden to be more aggressive in sending aid to Gaza and to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to open the door to aid. Some Democrats are calling on Mr. Biden and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York to make U.S. military aid to Israel conditional on Israel's war effort.
“To me, that's a ridiculous concept,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, the top Republican negotiator on the State Department bill. “We are not even given any funding,'' he said. he told the Post on Tuesday.
The bill also includes a 6% cut in foreign aid programs, but it is already a small portion of federal spending and is largely symbolic. Republicans won, banning the unofficial display of the flag at U.S. embassies. Republican lawmakers are using a slightly narrower version of a pre-existing rule to block Biden appointees from displaying Pride flags in public at U.S. diplomatic locations. I was expecting.
Marianna Sotomayor and Nick Miloff contributed to this report.
