House Freedom Caucus Puts Border First in Strategy to Advance Trump Agenda

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the U.S.–Mexico border, south of Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Aug. 22, 2024. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

The House Freedom Caucus has endorsed a two-track approach to advancing President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda amid some Republican division over the reconciliation process. The conservative bloc is pushing for an initial bill to address border security followed by a second one to tackle other policy priorities including taxes.

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Dec. 13, the group’s board of directors urged swift action on a border reconciliation package, arguing that securing resources for Trump’s immigration policies immediately after he takes office in January should be top priority.

“It is our understanding that President Trump’s closest advisors and experts on the border believe they must have immediate resources to begin to undo the damage caused by the Biden administration, secure the border, and start removals and repatriations on day one,” they wrote.

Republicans plan to fast-track their agenda using budget reconciliation, a process that bypasses the Senate filibuster and requires only 50 votes for budget-related bills, unlike the usual 60-vote threshold. This is seen as key to advancing Trump’s agenda quickly as Republicans will hold a 53–47 voting majority in the Senate.

The second, larger reconciliation bill would cover “taxes, spending, energy, bureaucracy, and more,” the letter said.

Trump’s campaign pledge to secure the border includes deporting illegal immigrants, beginning with convicted criminals and those who have been issued final orders of removal by an immigration judge.

With estimates of the illegal immigrant population in the United States ranging from around 11 million to 21 million, the deportation initiative would be a massive undertaking needing considerable resources. Plans for this effort involve significant increases in personnel, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and border agents, as well as expanded funding for detention facilities, operational technology, and border infrastructure.

Additional measures are expected to include executive orders aimed at enhancing border security and expediting deportations. Congressional action on these priorities is anticipated early in Trump’s presidency.

Some Republicans have raised concerns about the feasibility of advancing multiple major legislative packages in a single year through budget reconciliation, citing historical challenges and the narrow majority in Congress. Others emphasize the urgency of addressing tax policy to avoid potential voter dissatisfaction or tax increases when the 2017 cuts are set to expire at the end of 2025.

Stephen Miller, who will serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said in an appearance on Fox News on Dec. 9 that he’s confident the two-track strategy is achievable and positions the incoming administration for a swift policy win. Miller said he sees “zero risk” that splitting legislative efforts could derail the tax cut extension and saddle Americans with a tax increase.

Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told CNN on Dec. 8 that he’s skeptical that two reconciliation bills can be successfully passed in a single year. The last time Congress enacted multiple reconciliation bills in a single year was in 1997 when both the Balanced Budget Act and the Taxpayer Relief Act were passed using reconciliation.

Smith argued that extending the tax cuts is a key voter priority and so should be taken up first as leaving it for later raises the risk that the 2017 tax cuts will expire if “Congress doesn’t act appropriately.”