House Republican leaders are putting downward pressure on the level of funding allotted for the Department of Homeland Security in final fiscal 2024 appropriations negotiations, a major shift in traditional GOP orthodoxy, sources familiar with the talks say.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., believes that lower funding for the department in the annual appropriations process could inspire President Joe Biden to make concessions on migrant and border policy that House Republicans have pushed for, the sources said.
House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger, R-Texas, and Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., are currently negotiating subcommittee allocations, also known as 302(b)s. Appropriators are aiming to wrap those up this week, though House GOP conservatives opposing the overall topline funding levels Johnson agreed to with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., were pushing the speaker to scrap that deal on Thursday.
