The White House requested nearly $106 billion in supplemental funding for "critical" national security needs, such as assistance for Israel, deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region, assistance for Ukraine, and security and humanitarian needs at the border, but a press conference by the House Republicans on Monday focused on the latter two.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, who led the group, said they were unveiling this proposal before the next vote on House speaker to underscore to the candidates and the rest of Congress that this needs to be a priority.
"We can't move an inch on additional funding until we have passed meaningful border security for our own Southern border and receive critical answers to questions on Ukraine from the White House," said Crenshaw.
Provisions from the Republican-backed H.R. 2 Secure the Border Act, which the House passed earlier this year, would provide some of this meaningful change, he said.
H.R. 2 changes the incentives to come to the border "by reforming our asylum laws to work as intended, to be used for people who are truly persecuted," said Crenshaw. "Beyond that we have to authorize a requirement that asylum be applied for within the country of origin at a U.S. embassy or a U.S. consulate or a third country nearby."
He also said more resources are needed for detention facilities in the U.S. and Mexico.
As for the proposed level from the White House, Crenshaw said more details on the request are needed and while funding tends to go to "the right places," there is a need for policy change in addition to funding.
The White House in May said the president would veto the Secure the Border Act. More recently, when it was included in the House's initial continuing resolution last month, the White House called it "harmful, partisan border legislation" and said the president would veto the resolution if it came to his desk.
When asked about the veto threat by Law360, Crenshaw said, "That can be his position, is that still going to be his position when it's attached with Ukraine aid?"
In making the request, Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote to House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., "We have been clear that Congressional Republicans need to stop playing political games with border security."
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., told reporters he was "dismayed" by this, as it wasn't a productive place to start negotiations.
As for Ukraine aid, Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said there should be a happy medium between not providing any more money and "blank check mentality."
"The U.S. should decouple humanitarian aid and remove any funding that subsidizes Ukrainian government officials and workers," said Garcia. America's involvement should only go toward defeating Russia on the front lines, he said.
Garcia also laid out a series of questions the group thinks should be answered before more funding is provided, which cover the U.S.'s investment in the war and strategies to win from the U.S. and Ukraine.
The request for Israel is "more non-controversial," said Crenshaw, adding it could be considered with the Ukraine and border funding or on its own.
--Editing by Michael Watanabe.
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