The Republicans’ immigration-focused budget reconciliation funding plan is set to advance this week, but some senators on both sides of the aisle still want to open it up to other issues — including energy and the environment.
As GOP leaders look to quickly advance their budget resolution to fund immigration and law enforcement agencies, senators are eyeing an upcoming amendment process as a way to potentially get other priorities into the party-line legislation.
Those efforts will likely be in vain. Republican leaders are trying to keep their budget resolution tightly focused on immigration, and any attempt to expand the scope of the plan could send it off the rails.
But potential amendment votes on the war in Iran, food and energy prices, disaster aid and other issues could complicate Republicans’ plans. Failure to coalesce on a framework this week could jeopardize a separate bipartisan deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security — including FEMA — and get in the way of the White House’s goal of passing the Republican-only reconciliation bill by June 1.
