Senate Republicans Release $72 Billion Reconciliation Bill Funding ICE, CBP, and White House Security

By Kim Johnson, NLIHC Senior Director of Policy  

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees released on May 4 the text of a nearly $72 billion reconciliation bill that would provide over $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and over $26 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The bill also provides $1 billion to the Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades…to support enhancements by the United States Secret Service relating to the East Wing Modernization Project,” among other funding.  

Budget reconciliation is a special legislative procedure that allows bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the 60 votes usually required. When one party controls the House, Senate, and White House, reconciliation can be used to enact a bill into law without any support from the minority party. The committees plan on holding a review and vote on their portions of the bill—a process known as “markup”—the week of May 19, before combining the sections into one legislative package for a full vote on the Senate floor. The bill would then move to the House for consideration. Congressional republicans are aiming to enact a final reconciliation bill by June 1.  

Path Ahead for “Reconciliation 3.0” Unclear    

Even while work on the current reconciliation bill—referred to by some as “Reconciliation 2.0”—is ongoing, some Republicans are calling for a third, final reconciliation bill this Congress that would include additional spending for the Department of Defense (DoD), new or extended tax cuts, and potentially additional cuts to safety net programs to offset spending increases. Some members have also floated the idea of including components of the stalled bipartisan housing supply bill related to first-time homebuyers in “Reconciliation 3.0.”  

However, it is not clear whether congressional republicans have the internal support they would need to enact a third reconciliation bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) warned that changes to the tax code could open up parts of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R.1), the first Republican reconciliation bill (see Memo, 7/7/25), to relitigation.  

While it is not yet clear what specific policies would be included in a third reconciliation bill, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced on April 22 the “Protecting American Taxpayers Act,” a legislative package combining 17 bills with the stated goal of “[recovering] stolen funds, protecting taxpayer dollars, and stopping fraudsters” through rescinding unobligated funding from COVID-19-related programs, and imposing additional work reporting requirements on recipients of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, among other proposals. HUD programs are not mentioned in the bill; however, many of the same families who receive TANF, Medicaid, and other assistance also struggle with housing stability, and a reduction in assistance that helps families afford the cost of food, medical care, and other necessities will also impact their ability to afford the cost of rent, combining 17 bills with the stated goal of “[recovering] stolen funds, protecting taxpayer dollars, and stopping fraudsters” through rescinding unobligated funding from COVID-19-related programs, and imposing additional work reporting requirements on recipients of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, among other proposals. HUD programs are not mentioned in the bill; however, many of the same families who receive TANF, Medicaid, and other assistance also struggle with housing stability, and a reduction in assistance that helps families afford the cost of food, medical care, and other necessities will also impact their ability to afford the cost of rent.