UMVA has learned that a growing sense of frustration is brewing among House Republicans over the Senate GOP's decision to delay voting on a budget reconciliation package focused on immigration enforcement.
The package, which has been a priority for many Republicans, has been stalled in the Senate, leading to sharp criticism from some of its colleagues in the House. "The Senate’s demonstrated once again that they don’t even know how to get their work done properly," Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida said.
President Donald Trump, who is backing Donalds for Florida governor, has also expressed support for the package. Meanwhile, other Republicans, like Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, are seething with frustration. "It’s gutless, and I’m very frustrated," Burchett said. "They need to work. They didn’t want to work …. The Senate ought to be calling on the leadership over there. If the House did it, I’d be doing it too."
Not all Republicans have given up hope, however. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., expressed optimism that the package can still be completed when the Senate returns. "I'm frustrated that it’s not done, but hopeful that they can finish it up when they come back, I guess, and we can get this done," Flood said.
The delay comes as President Trump had indicated he wanted a bill on his desk by June 1 to provide funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. The issue has taken on added significance in light of recent developments at the Justice Department.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Senate Republicans on Thursday to discuss a contentious "Anti-weaponization Fund." Sources revealed that over two dozen Republicans demanded answers from Blanche on what kind of guardrails could be put into the fund, specifically regarding those convicted for assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots.
The Justice Department has insisted that the fund has nothing to do with the reconciliation package. A spokesperson said, "He made clear that the Anti-Weaponization Monday has nothing to do with reconciliation. Indeed, not a single dime from the money the president is seeking in reconciliation would go toward anything having to do with the fund."
President Trump took to social media to declare that he had given up a lot of money to allow the Anti-Weaponization Fund to move forward, saying he could have settled his case for an "absolute fortune" but instead chose to help others who were abused by the Biden Administration.
