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Senate Republicans’ plan for a quick-strike immigration enforcement funding bill could complicate plans to restock the Pentagon’s coffers amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, according to multiple GOP senators.
One called the chances of a third reconciliation bill low and said Democrats won’t be on board for passing a separate defense funding measure, arguing the party should add the defense spending to the party-line reconciliation and go as big as it can.
But GOP leaders are charging forward with ICE and border funding only, with leadership allies explaining they could tie Pentagon money together with disaster aid for wildfires and hope it brings Democrats along.
Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham told Semafor that adding Iran spending could bog the whole thing down. “We’ll have to pay for it, it may slow things down and make it more complicated. We’re talking about maybe doing some defense.”
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Indeed, getting buy-in from fiscal conservatives could be complicated. Republicans don’t yet have full support from the party for their plan, though they can afford to lose three votes in the Senate.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Semafor that he’s undecided and is studying the massive infusion of money for Customs and Border Protection and ICE in last year’s reconciliation bill. He called the Pentagon figures circulating the Senate — as high as $200 billion — “alarming.”
He’s not alone.
“We need some specifics of what’s in there. That is a lot of money, and, you know, it doesn’t come out of thin air. It comes against our nation’s future in the form of debt. So what are we doing? What’s the plan? And how are we gonna repay it?” Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., told Semafor.
Republicans doubt Democrats will ever vote to fund the Iran war. Graham is teasing a third reconciliation bill, even as many senators privately acknowledge that won’t happen given the complicated logistics in an election year.
“This won’t be the only bill we do. We’ll do another reconciliation bill. This one’s going to be more focused. If we can get some defense spending in, great,” Graham said.
The back-up plan is a bipartisan package with Democratic priorities later this year. There are even some whispers of additional funding for the Ukraine war. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he thought the Senate GOP could unilaterally pass a bill that funds ICE, border security, and the Iran war but had questions about whether the slim House majority could stomach it: “It’s not only us hitting the sweet spot, but what the House can move.”
“We’ll still, I think, come back and do a supplemental, because we can get Democrat votes for that. Because they’ve got to vote for the California wildfires,” Hoeven said.