FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are carving out $68.8 billion for President Donald Trump’s border wall and to hire more agents in the field amid talks on a massive bill to advance the commander-in-chief’s agenda.
While Trump spent much of his first term focused on a physical barrier between the U.S. and Mexico, the legislation now under consideration seeks to modernize the task with $46.5 billion for an integrated “border barrier system,” according to details first viewed by Fox News Digital. It would incorporate physical fencing along with updated surveillance tools, roads, and lighting.
The bill also aims to pay $5 billion for new facilities and personnel for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), something the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sought since Trump came back to the White House.
It would specifically dedicate $4.1 billion to fund new front-line personnel to patrol the border, while also incentivizing new and current CBP staff with retention bonuses, among other measures – for which $2 billion is dedicated.
It would also put $813 million into modernizing CBP’s existing fleet of vehicles, with its current tech falling prey to mechanical issues and high maintenance costs.
The bill also seeks $2.7 billion to fund an array of modern technology that agents could use to crack down on illegal immigration at the border, including ground sensors, drones, radar, and remote surveillance technology, among other items.
For people caught crossing illegally, it would fund $673 million in upgrades to the U.S.’s current biometrics system aimed at tracking those illegal migrants.
Just over $1 billion in funding for new and updated air and maritime platforms is also included.
The legislation also puts millions toward threat-assessment and logistical planning for multiple upcoming international events in the U.S. – $1 billion for the 2028 Summer Olympics, and $625 million for the coming World Cup soccer championships.
Other funding items include $1 million to commemorate American victims of illegal immigrant crime, and $500 million to specifically crack down on cartel drug smuggling at the border.
Border security is a core pillar of congressional Republicans’ priorities in the budget reconciliation process. The Homeland Security Committee, which has jurisdiction over significant amounts of U.S.-Mexico border operations, was directed to use up to $90 billion in new spending to achieve those goals.
Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and immigration czar Tom Homan, have emphasized the need for more funding to carry out the president’s agenda.
DHS sent a memo to House and Senate Republicans earlier this month warning that failure to pass the legislation “will undo all the Trump Administration’s Massive Successes.”
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Budget reconciliation lowers the Senate’s passage threshold from 60 votes to 51 for certain items relating to federal spending, taxes, and the national debt. It therefore allows a party controlling the House, Senate and White House to pass sweeping reforms while entirely sidelining the opposing party, in this case Democrats.
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Republicans are aiming to use reconciliation to pass broad swaths of Trump’s agenda.
In addition to border security that includes new commitments to fossil fuel energy, the national defense, and Trump’s tax policies – both extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and fulfilling newer promises to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime pay, and retirees’ social security.
