On Tuesday, Tom Bevan, co-founder and president of RealClearPolitics, stated that Republican senators have a procedural option to bypass what he described as a Democrat block on Homeland Security funding.
Bevan explained that Republicans could use the budget reconciliation process to advance the funding with party unity, avoiding the need for Democrat support. He noted that the reconciliation process is limited but applicable in this case, allowing the Senate to pass legislation related to budgetary and fiscal matters with a bare majority of 51 senators.
Bevan referenced the Affordable Care Act as an example, stating that the reconciliation process would not be “beyond the pale or out of the ordinary.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has focused on advancing Homeland Security funding through traditional legislative channels, but Bevan said his position has softened as the issue has persisted. He indicated that the reconciliation maneuver is gaining traction within the Republican caucus.
President Donald Trump has pushed to tie Homeland Security funding to the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE America Act), which Bevan noted could create complications if not properly aligned with fiscal matters.
On Tuesday, senators raced to finalize a proposal to fund most of the Homeland Security Department while excluding enforcement and removal operations carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which are at the center of the dispute. Thune described the discussions as “positive and productive” and stated that most of DHS would be funded without major changes.
