EXCLUSIVE — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) plans on including funding for the border wall and other border security provisions in this year’s homeland security appropriations bill, which are things conservatives have said they need to see in order to get on board with any kind of spending bill.
A document obtained by the Washington Examiner that was handed out during a meeting in the speaker’s office and is a side-by-side comparison of provisions in H.R. 2, the House’s border security bill passed earlier this year, and what will be in the fiscal 2024 homeland security appropriations bill shows what McCarthy’s plans are for the homeland security appropriations bill.
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The document shows that this year’s homeland security appropriations bill will include several provisions that were in H.R. 2.
McCarthy has made clear that he wants to pass the homeland security appropriations bill before the Sept. 30 deadline. A source with knowledge of the proceedings said the homeland security appropriations bill is one of three bills the House will likely take up before the deadline.
The bill will include $2.1 billion for the border wall, according to the document, with a requirement to contract in 120 days. It will also include $276 million for border technology and $305 million for nonintrusive inspection. It will fund a total of 22,000 Border Patrol agents.
It will also fund 98,000 Border Patrol air and marine flight hours.
The bill will also prohibit funding to several programs and entities that conservatives have been vocally against, according to the document.
It will provide no funding to several nongovernmental organizations that provide migrant services, such as the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and the Shelter Services Program, according to the document. It will also prohibit the funding of dismantling existing barriers and prohibit funds from being used to transport illegal immigrants into the interior of the country, the document says.
There are also several policy provisions in the homeland security appropriations bill. According to the document, the bill will prohibit COVID-19 vaccine requirements for Department of Homeland Security personnel; it will prioritize the detention of illegal immigrants, require various Border Patrol and immigration data to be made publicly available, and require that each one be monitored throughout the duration of the proceedings.
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Border security is one of the biggest priorities of the Republican conference as lawmakers continue to negotiate appropriations bills. Some members have threatened to vote against appropriations bills or a continuing resolution if the House Republican Leadership did not do enough to increase border security during the appropriations process.
“We got to secure the border,” said Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL). “That’s my priority, and it’s the priority of the people of Florida. That’s the priority frankly of the people in New York. It’s a priority of all the American people except for Senate Democrats in the White House. I’m all for keeping the government funded and open, but we got to actually do its job, which is securing our border.”
