A growing number of House Republicans are threatening to withhold support on key spending bills unless the Biden administration makes drastic changes to its border security measures, setting the stage for a possible government shutdown ahead of a looming September deadline.
At least 15 Texas Republicans have signed a letter penned by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) outlining a list of demands that must be met in exchange for their support on a bill to continue necessary funding for the Department of Homeland Security. That number is well over the four-vote margin House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) must navigate to get legislation through the House without any Democratic support.
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The letter was initially sent out to lawmakers on Tuesday, with Roy listing a number of demands he said must be met in order for him to support legislation funding the DHS or to vote for a continuing resolution ahead of the looming Sept. 30 deadline. Those demands include measures to tighten security at the southern border, which Roy argues is a “national crisis.
“You’re not going to get a tax dollar to fund the Department of Homeland Security that’s allowing that to occur on our watch,” Roy told Fox and Friends on Thursday. “You are not going to get our support for a continuing resolution for any kind of funding for DHS if you don’t address the border, pass and sign H.R. 2 into law, secure the border, fund Texas back for the $10 billion we’ve had to spend.”
The updated list of signees signals a brewing fight over government spending and appropriations, putting McCarthy in a bind as he must find a way to appease demands from those on his right flank while not alienating the crucial support of moderate Republicans. McCarthy can only afford to lose four GOP votes on any piece of legislation if all Democrats are in opposition, meaning the GOP leader will either need to wrangle his caucus holdouts or negotiate a bipartisanship agreement — something Democrats are skeptical about.
“This isn’t about the budget. In the House, you’ve got a group of folks in the right flank who want to shut down the government so they’re asking for things they know everyone else in their party will say no to,” Democratic freshman Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC) said in a video. “Why? Because they know they will get wall-to-wall media coverage for every moment we’re shut down.”
That gives McCarthy two options as he moves forward in the appropriations process, according to Jackson: Either call votes on budget legislation that won’t receive support from conservatives or risk losing crucial support from his right flank.
“They’ve got enough votes to fire him as speaker whenever they want,” he said. “So from his standpoint, the path of least political resistance is probably to just let them have their government shutdown.”
In his Tuesday letter, Roy laid out four conditions that must be met in order for him to support any spending legislation, pressing the Biden administration to implement stronger border security measures. One of the conditions urges President Joe Biden to sign H.R. 2, a GOP-led measure passed by the House earlier this year that has been lauded by Republicans as the “strongest border security bill” passed by lawmakers in decades.
The letter also pushes the president to implement policies that give law enforcement officials the “tools necessary” to combat cartels attempting to cross the border, as well as a $10 billion reimbursement to the state of Texas for expenses used to secure the border.
Roy also demands the ouster of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from his position as the head of DHS, urging the president to ensure he “is removed from office, resigns, or is fired.”
The letter comes after House lawmakers left Washington, D.C., for a six-week recess despite a lengthy to-do list and lingering negotiations over spending legislation. House leaders said they would continue working over the break, although it remains unclear whether lawmakers will meet in person to do so.
The House managed to pass its military construction appropriations bill before it adjourned, advancing only one of 12 of its must-pass spending bills before leaving town and returning on Sept. 12. That leaves Congress with just 18 days upon its return to pass its budget and avert a government shutdown.
It’s unclear whether the House would approve a continuing resolution, an agreement that allows the government to operate at the same spending levels until a new budget is passed, as some conservatives, including Roy, said they would oppose such a measure.
McCarthy has continued to express confidence that the House can pass all of its appropriations bills before the Sept. 30 deadline, admonishing reporters for “doubting” Republicans’ ability to advance legislation.
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“I can know what day it is based upon the questions that you ask. I began to refer to them as the five stages of the D.C. press cycle of doubt,” McCarthy said before the House left for recess. “You’ve asked me that same question almost every single week, and we’ve proven every single week that we’ll do it.”
Still, McCarthy faces challenges within his own conference as members of the House Freedom Caucus demand deep spending cuts — with several threatening their support altogether if their demands aren’t met. That puts the House on a collision course with Senate Democrats, who are likely drafting budgets with a much larger number.