Trump Signs $70 Billion Homeland Security Bill as House Overcomes GOP Divide

President Donald Trump has signed a $70 billion homeland security bill. This Republican-led measure passed the House with a narrow margin, despite the GOP’s slim majority.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump expressed his satisfaction with the funding. The bill aims to support the Department of Homeland Security and provide resources to ICE and Border Patrol. Trump emphasized the importance of funding domestic law enforcement and combatting child exploitation. He stated that the bill would help maintain law and order while protecting the nation’s youth.

“For more than 100 days, congressional Democrats tried to block all funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” Trump said. “They want to take us back to chaos and crime.”

The president criticized former President Joe Biden for his border policy. He also targeted former Vice President Kamala Harris for not contacting ICE and border patrol officials during her term as border czar. Trump mentioned that law enforcement has reduced fentanyl crossings by nearly 60%.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stressed the urgency of passing the bill given current security threats. The package initially faced resistance from conservatives. They sought to codify Trump’s immigration-related executive orders but were concerned that they lacked the full force of law.

“We need to codify what the president has done,” stated Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas. “We are going to fund those who keep bad actors out.”

All Senate Democrats and Republican Lisa Murkowski opposed the bill. However, the rest of the GOP argued for full funding through the end of Trump’s term. Some Republicans had hesitations about Trump’s suggested “anti-weaponization fund,” fearing misuse linked to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

The bill’s passage follows an earlier shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, initiated by Democrats over Trump’s immigration actions. Despite this, ICE had been funded previously in November.

Fox News Digital tried to obtain more comments from the White House. Reporter Charles Creitz covered the event for Fox News Digital. He joined in 2013 after graduating from Temple University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.