Conservative House Freedom Caucus (HFC) members encouraged Republicans to vote against the second appropriations package on Friday that provides $1.2 trillion in funding for the rest of the fiscal year to avert a government shutdown.
The 1,012-page legislation funds the agencies for Homeland Security, Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Education; Legislative Branch; and State and Foreign Operations through Sept. 30. HFC members slammed the legislation in a Friday morning press conference ahead of the vote, largely over the increased funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its secretary office, which is held by Alejandro Mayorkas.
“Is there anything that some Republicans won’t do to keep this government open? Why are we in a rush to keep this government open that is so harming the American people by the very policies which they are suffering under?,” said HFC Chairman Bob Good. “And the bill that’s being voted on today will be Republicans joining with Democrats to fund this DHS. Instead we must say enough, not on our watch.”
The second funding package released on Thursday provides $19 million in additional funds to the Office of the DHS Secretary. The GOP-held House voted to impeach Mayorkas on Feb. 13 over his handling of the border crisis.
“Every single Republican should vote no, should vote no. And should be ashamed of ever voting yes,” said former HFC Chairman Scott Perry. “And if they don’t vote no on this bill, what they’re saying to their constituents — their bosses who sent them to Washington, D.C. — Democrat or Republican, what you saw at the border, that’s fine with me. That’s good. Let’s get more of that.”
“Anybody who votes for this bill today owns every stinking bit of it,” said Texas Rep. Chip Roy. “They own the destruction of the American economy with all these regulations killing families. They own the wide open borders, causing death and destruction. They own the fentanyl pouring into communities. If you fund it, you own it.”
The House is set to vote for the legislation on Friday, just before government funding runs out at 11:59 p.m.
Lawmakers previously passed its first “minibus” on March 6 to partially complete the appropriations process, which President Joe Biden signed on March 9. The legislation funded Commerce, Justice and Science; Energy and Water Development; Department of the Interior and Environment; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
Congress has passed four continuing resolutions to temporarily fund the government, averting shutdowns since the initial deadline just before fiscal year 2024 began on Oct. 1, 2023.
