The House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday called for fully funding the Department of Homeland Security through a Republican-led budget reconciliation bill, rejecting a two-step plan backed by President Donald Trump and GOP leadership.
"We cannot leave ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] hanging with nothing but hopes and prayers that reconciliation 2.0 comes together," the group said in a post on X.
"That's why we must use reconciliation to fully fund ALL of the Department of Homeland Security!" the post continued.
Trump, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., would fund most of DHS, including the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, through a bipartisan Senate bill.
The plan then calls for budget reconciliation to approve funding for immigration enforcement, bypassing a Democratic filibuster.
The Freedom Caucus, however, warned against separating immigration enforcement funding from the rest of the department, taking a stance that underscores the challenge Johnson faces in uniting House Republicans behind a funding strategy he had previously criticized as a "joke."
It also signals that internal GOP divisions could complicate efforts to restore funding for much of DHS.
Last week, Johnson aligned with Thune and Trump in backing the two-step plan, which separates funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol from the rest of the agency amid Democratic opposition to funding without immigration policy changes.
However, House Republicans, including members outside the Freedom Caucus, spoke out during a private conference call last week and pressed leadership to prioritize a reconciliation bill that addresses immigration and border security before approving broader DHS funding.
Trump has said he wants immigration enforcement funding passed by June 1, while Thune has indicated a preference for keeping that legislation narrowly focused to meet the deadline.
The Freedom Caucus argued that a reconciliation package could still be tightly controlled even if it includes full DHS funding, reports The Hill.
"We can tightly control this process with strict instructions to the various committees involved, so no one can sneak in unrelated garbage and distract us from our mission," the group said.
"We must provide robust funding for ICE and CBP, and it should be done with all of DHS in reconciliation 2.0. We can fund DHS for the rest of the President's term to ensure Democrats can never again take our nation's security hostage."
Republicans have also argued that agreeing to separate border funding at Democrats' insistence would set a poor precedent for future appropriations negotiations and have resisted advancing any bill that excludes immigration enforcement provisions.
"We will never hand Democrats their ultimate prize: A defunded ICE, handcuffed CBP, and criminal aliens terrorizing our communities," the Freedom Caucus said.
Trump last week ordered that all DHS employees continue to be paid despite the ongoing, record-setting shutdown, citing national security concerns and easing immediate pressure on lawmakers to pass a funding measure.
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