Jan. 22 (UPI) — The House of Representatives passed four funding measures on Thursday to avert another federal government shutdown ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.
The four measures are in addition to eight appropriations bills that already were approved.
“Together, all 12 appropriations bills provide responsible, full-year government funding, spend less than another continuing resolution and codify reforms to cut waste, fraud and abuse,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a joint release.
Also issuing the joint release were House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain of Michigan.
“Once enacted, any last remnants of Biden-era spending will be replaced with President [Donald] Trump’s spending levels,” the GOP lawmakers said.
“Many doubted us, but Republicans have delivered once again in making the America First agenda a reality. We have finally turned the page, and we are not turning back.”
The House overwhelmingly voted 341-88 in favor of House Resolution 7148, which provides funding for the Departments of Defense, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor and other agencies, programs and authorities. Two House members did not cast votes.
A more contentious Department of Homeland Security funding bill was approved despite significant opposition from House Democrats, who demanded reforms be enacted for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The House also voted in favor of House Resolution 7147, 220-207, with four not voting.
The resolution funds Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Secret Service.
It also funds U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and the Science and Technology Directorate.
The Homeland Security funding measure has seen opposition from Democrats, who are demanding ICE reforms since the deadly shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The measure reduces funding for ICE enforcement and removal operations by $115 million, while keeping the overall budget for the agency flat, House Democrats said in a press release on Tuesday.
There are new restrictions on the department’s ability to allocate funds if it doesn’t comply with reporting rules.
It also establishes new training requirements and allocates $20 million for body cameras for ICE agents.
House Democrats largely sought more restrictive measures to rein in ICE immigration enforcement.
“Donald Trump promised the American people that his deportation policy would focus on violent felons who are in the country illegally,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Reps. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said in a joint release.
“Instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has aggressively targeted American citizens and law-abiding immigrant families,” they claimed.
The House Democrats accused Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE of being “out of control” and said “taxpayer dollars are being misused to brutalize U.S. citizens.”
“Unfortunately, House Republicans have rejected the effort to address the serious concerns raised by the American people about the lawless conduct by ICE,” they added.
“For this reason, we are voting ‘No’ on the Homeland Security appropriations bill.”
The House-approved measures now go to the Senate, which will vote on those and two other funding bills passed last week in the House.
The Senate will need 60 votes to approve the federal funding ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline to fund the government or see it close again.
The federal government closed for a record 43 days, starting on Oct. 1, when Senate Democrats largely voted against a continuing resolution to fund the government while lawmakers debated a full 2026 fiscal year budget.
The federal fiscal year starts every year on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30.
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