MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Congress is back after a weeklong break.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Yeah. They'll focus on passing three years of funding for immigration enforcement. The goal is to take care of the most controversial piece of President Trump's agenda for the rest of his term.
MARTIN: NPR Congress reporter Eric McDaniel is here to tell us more about this. Good morning.
ERIC MCDANIEL, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: Is it normal to pass three years of funding in one go?
MCDANIEL: No. Definitely not. Generally, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement - ICE - and Customs and Border Protection are funded on the same cycle as everything else - October through September. But because of the fight over how ICE and Border Patrol have conducted Trump's mass deportation agenda - federal agents killed two citizens in Minnesota earlier this year - Democrats blocked their annual funding as they pushed for reforms.
These agencies weren't hurting for cash. Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill dedicated more than $100 billion toward the teams last year, but they have been without their usual appropriated money since February. So Republicans have decided, let's just put this issue to rest. We have the votes to end this fight through Trump's term in the White House.
MARTIN: So what impact would having this long-term funding stream have?
MCDANIEL: Well, think of it this way. If all the funding is already in the bank, Congress has one fewer tool in their box of checks and balances to oversee how immigration enforcement is conducted in the U.S. Democrats have blocked money in hopes of making ICE and CBP agents wear body cameras and limit their use of face coverings. But with money paid out for three years of operations, that lever will be gone. Congress, of course, has other oversight tools, like calling in Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other officials in to testify before Congress. But make no mistake - Congressional Republicans are choosing to let go of a big piece of their leverage over the executive branch here.
MARTIN: Eric, does it seem as though this is becoming a kind of an ongoing theme in this Congress - stepping back from oversight?
MCDANIEL: I'd say so. Think about the power of the purse. The Constitution says, Congress, you folks get to decide how we spend taxpayer dollars. But to folks during the DHS shutdown, the president moved money around on his own to write paychecks. Congress just kind of shrugged, even though that's really their job to do.
Congress also has the power to declare war and regulate the use of the military. Trump's war on Iran has lasted more than 60 days at this point. That's a key legal threshold, and Congress hasn't passed a bill to either authorize or rebuke the conflict. But in the case of long-term funding, you could also make the case that Republicans are helping to stabilize the government a bit. Most of our peer countries just don't do big shutdowns like the U.S. does. So giving these teams at the heart of the president's agenda - the issue he was elected on - funding for the rest of his term is also a big step toward consistency, if not accountability.
MARTIN: So what has to happen to get this over the finish line - this funding over the finish line?
MCDANIEL: Well, this week, eyes are on the Senate. Republican leadership wants to keep this bill really focused - just ICE, just CBP. But there's already $1 billion in security money for the White House ballroom in there that could make this hard to pass if it stays in. And some House Republicans want to make it even broader than that - to add some affordability measures, to add Trump's election-security proof-of-citizenship bill. But I think with what is a one- or two-vote margin to pass things through the House, I just don't see a world in which those provisions make it to the finish line.
MARTIN: And before we let you go, where's the president on all of this?
MCDANIEL: Well, he's mostly stayed out of it lately, letting Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune lead the process. He's been focused on gas prices in Iran, as well as some of the statehouse Republican primaries. Trump did set a deadline of June 1 for them to have this funding bill on his desk, though, and I think so far, so good on that front. But when it comes to Congress, things always do find a way to get stuck.
MARTIN: That is NPR congressional reporter Eric McDaniel. Eric, thank you.
MCDANIEL: Thanks, Michel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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