WASHINGTON — Congress is back in session following the holiday break and once again averting a government shutdown tops their to-do list. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Democrats agreed over the weekend on spending levels for the new year, but there are concerns some hardline Republicans might torpedo the agreement if they do not get their way on border security.

What You Need To Know

  • House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Democrats agreed over the weekend on spending levels for the new year, but there are concerns some hardline Republicans might torpedo the agreement if they do not get their way on border security

  • Some conservatives vowed to shut down the government unless Democrats agreed to tough new border policies, which include border wall construction and asylum restrictions  

  • If there is no funding agreement by Jan. 19, large parts of the government will shut down

  • Some Democrats say a shutdown could exacerbate the very problem Republicans claim to be combating   

After House Speaker Mike Johnson led more than 60 House Republicans to the Texas-Mexico border last week, some conservatives vowed to shut down the government unless Democrats agreed to tough new border policies.  

“Washington only responds to force or money, and money, the power of the purse which the House of Representatives holds, is the last resort. So if we do that, that is literally the last resort,” Rep. Keith Self, R-McKinney, told Spectrum News.  

President Joe Biden has proposed more than $10 billion in new border spending in order to win Republican approval of new money for Ukraine and Israel. But some House Republicans say there is nothing to discuss unless Democrats accept their sweeping border security bill known as H.R.2. It would resume construction of former President Donald Trump’s border wall and require that migrants seeking asylum wait in Mexico until their cases are resolved.

“This is an existential crisis. This is a danger to our Republic. A short-term, temporary pause in the federal government to get the attention of the administration would be a small price to pay,” Self said. 

Over the weekend, House Republican and Senate Democratic leaders agreed that this year’s federal budget will total nearly $1.6 trillion. Johnson conceded Tuesday night the spending deal was a compromise. 

“This is not what we all want. It’s not the best deal that we can get if we were in charge of both chambers and the White House. But it’s the best deal that we could broker under the circumstances,” Johnson said. 

Some hardline House Republicans say that is too much, so now the question is whether they have enough votes to sink the deal. If there is no funding agreement by Jan. 19, large parts of the government will shut down.

“So, do you think that it’s going to be better if we shut the government down on immigration? Or is that going to present an even greater problem? I can give you the answer, because my Republican colleagues obviously don’t know. It’s going to make it even worse, you’re going to exacerbate the problem,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, told Spectrum News. 

“But guess what? That’s the perfect storm for them because they only want to campaign on this issue,” Crockett continued.  

A bipartisan group of Senators has labored for weeks to strike a deal on changes to border policies. On the table are proposals to make it harder to claim asylum and to limit the granting of temporary protections to migrants under a process known as parole.