Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is attempting to usher through a party-line immigration enforcement funding bill on Tuesday in what will be a test of party unity despite a slim margin in the House.The $70 billion legislation will give funding to Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which were left out of a Department of Homeland Security funding bill earlier this year. The Senate passed the measure last Friday, with only one GOP “no” vote from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), after an hourslong vote-a-rama that became a referendum on President Donald Trump’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The Senate’s bill ultimately did not include a ban on the DOJ’s fund, born out of a settlement with the president over the leak of his tax returns, despite Republican reservations concerning the fund.
Johnson will only be able to lose two GOP votes, assuming all members are voting and present. During the party’s first party-line reconciliation bill, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted against the massive tax and spending bill.
Massie told reporters Monday he was “still trying to compare apples to apples,” but that his support would likely hinge on whether GOP leadership attaches anything to the legislation or increases the spending allotment.Fitzpatrick will be something of a wild card on Tuesday, as he has repeatedly broken with his party on high-profile issues, most recently voting to send aid to Ukraine and expressing vocal opposition to the anti-weaponization fund.
