U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has affirmed that Republicans will fully fund border security and immigration enforcement for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term, as Congress advances a sweeping proposal to channel tens of billions of dollars to immigration agencies through 2029.
Speaking after lawmakers returned from a one-week recess, Johnson on Wednesday, May 13, framed the effort as both a national security priority and a political dividing line between Republicans and Democrats.
“We will fully fund both border security and immigration enforcement for the balance of President Trump’s term,” Johnson said. “Maintaining border security and deporting dangerous criminal illegal aliens is the baseline that the American people demand and deserve.”
Speaker Johnson pushes long-term border funding
The Louisiana Republican also accused Democrats of opposing immigration enforcement altogether, saying there was “not a single Democrat in Congress, House or Senate, who believes that border security and immigration enforcement should exist.”
Johnson’s remarks come as Senate committees prepare to advance portions of a reconciliation bill designed to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through fiscal year 2029.
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Republican lawmakers are using the budget reconciliation process, which allows legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes typically needed to overcome a filibuster.
The proposal would add roughly $72 billion in new immigration enforcement funding on top of the more than $170 billion Congress approved last year under President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
According to legislative details under discussion in Congress, ICE would receive approximately $38.2 billion to expand enforcement operations, detention capacity, transportation systems, staffing, and agreements with local law enforcement agencies.
CBP would receive about $26 billion for personnel, surveillance systems, screening operations, and border enforcement programs.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would also receive an additional $5 billion in broadly defined funding authority, while the Department of Justice would receive roughly $1.5 billion tied to immigration enforcement and related legal operations.
The legislation has become one of the central domestic policy priorities for congressional Republicans, who argue the package would stabilize funding for immigration enforcement and prevent future operational disruptions at DHS.
Johnson said the bill remains on schedule to reach Trump’s desk by the administration’s June 1 target date. The push follows months of disputes between Democrats and Republicans over immigration enforcement tactics and oversight.
Since February, Democrats have resisted approving annual funding measures for ICE and CBP while demanding reforms, including stricter warrant standards, body camera requirements, and limits on agents’ ability to conceal their identities during operations.
Republicans, however, argue that the administration’s immigration agenda requires long-term certainty and uninterrupted funding.
NPR congressional reporting noted that ICE and Border Patrol have been operating without standard appropriated funding since February, after Democrats blocked annual spending measures tied to DHS operations.
The agencies have continued functioning partly because of prior emergency and reconciliation funding already approved by Congress.
Critics of the new proposal argue the plan could significantly weaken congressional oversight by reducing lawmakers’ ability to revisit agency budgets annually.
Congressional Budget Office warning
Under the regular appropriations process, Congress typically reviews funding every fiscal year, allowing lawmakers to adjust spending levels, impose reporting requirements, and demand policy changes.
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The reconciliation proposal instead would provide multi-year lump-sum funding with fewer restrictions attached.
The Congressional Budget Office has reportedly warned that there is uncertainty over how quickly agencies could spend the allocated money because the proposal contains limited guardrails governing the pace of expenditures.
Some Democrats and immigration advocacy groups have also raised concerns about the broader tradeoffs in federal spending priorities.
Critics note the administration’s recent budget proposals include cuts to domestic programs while immigration enforcement agencies continue receiving major funding increases.
Still, Republicans maintain immigration enforcement remains one of the administration’s core mandates following the 2024 election cycle.
Johnson pointed to immigration as a defining political issue, saying voters repeatedly demanded stronger border enforcement.
“We do not have a country if we do not have borders,” the speaker said.
The Senate is expected to take up the legislation later this month as Republicans attempt to finalize the package before the White House’s June deadline.
