John Thune (R-South Dakota), the new Senate GOP leader, is clear on his top priority for 2025: a major border security and defense package. Thune is working on a two-part reconciliation plan for next year, aiming to make it deficit-neutral, or even deficit-negative, sources told Axios.
The border component of the first reconciliation package could amount to $120 billion. It will fund the construction of the border wall and support for border agents, as well as expanding infrastructure for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out Trump's deportation initiatives, according to a source familiar with the plans.
The effort comes despite some pushback from House Republicans. Thune's plan is already gaining traction within the Senate, with leadership and committee staffers meeting last Friday to discuss the process.
Thune is also working to address concerns about financing the package. Some Senate Republicans have suggested potential funding sources, including overturning President Biden's student loan program, which could free up to $200 billion. Additionally, revenue generated from energy proposals might help cover some of the package's costs.
Trump adviser Stephen Miller said on Sunday that the border portion of the package could be passed by "early February," signaling that President-elect Donald Trump's team is aligned with the plan of carrying out the largest deportation operation in American history.
Miller detailed that the President-elect would kick off his mass deportation plans on Day 1 of his presidency, though the operation would be hard to achieve without major structural overhauls. To do so, Miller urged Republicans in Congress to pass necessary funding. He particularly took his attention to John Thune and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who he says has "promised that they can get a full funding package for the border, the most significant board of security investment in American history... to the president's desk in January or early February."
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who will chair the Senate Budget Committee starting in January, agreed about making the border security bill the Senate Budget Committee's top priority. Graham shared on the platform X that Miller was right in suggesting the Senate and House should use the budget reconciliation process to pass a border security bill first. "While I support spending restrictions and tax cuts, my top priority — and the first order of business in the Senate Budget Committee — is to secure a broken border. The bill will be transformational, it will be paid for, and it will go first," he said.
The second part of the reconciliation package will focus on extending the Trump-era tax cuts, but it is expected to be more complex to negotiate. It's unclear if Republicans will be as focused on offsetting the cost of the tax cuts as they are with the border and defense portion.
While Thune's approach is gaining support in the Senate, there is still disagreement within the party. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has criticized the plan and anticipates a single, large reconciliation package next year. However, Senate Republicans appear to be backing Thune's proposal.
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