Gov't funding is top priority for Congress to start new year

Happy New Year! With the start of a new year and a new session of the 119th Congress, it's a good time to take a look at what immigration-related legislation may be on the table in 2026.

Congress's top priority is to pass spending bills to fund the government through the end of September. The Continuing Resolution that Congress passed back in November extended funding until the end of January, so we could face another partial government shutdown unless Congress takes action. This week, the House started the process by overwhelmingly passing a "minibus" that funded several federal departments. The Senate still has to pass this minibus and send it to the President.

While the Immigration Accountability Project is tracking all the funding bills, we're most focused on the bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). That bill will provide funding for the key immigration agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The House Appropriations Committee added a number of bad immigration provisions to the bill during the Committee markup last summer, and IAP has been working to get those provisions removed before the bill makes its way to the House floor.

Democrats have been saying that they don't intend to force another government shutdown, but it is unclear how the situation in Minnesota will impact the vote on the DHS appropriations bill. Between the allegations of industrial-scale welfare fraud by Somalis and the fatal shooting by an ICE officer of a protester who drove her vehicle into the officer, Democrats are in uproar. If they decide to block the DHS spending bill in response, other agencies will also be affected, most notably the U.S. Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Secret Service.

With Congress finally back in town, IAP is working with Members of the House and Senate on legislative proposals to stop the fraud that’s occurring in Minnesota and elsewhere. In the meantime, IAP continues to push: 

• Congress to consider Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-TX) Pause Admissions Until Security Ensured (PAUSE) Act; and 
• The Senate to vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy in the House and Sen. Mike Lee in the Senate. 

The PAUSE Act would impose a full moratorium on all immigration until Congress makes several reforms, including ending Chain Migration and Birthright Citizenship. You can view our fact sheet here.

The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. The bill has already passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, but has yet to see any action in the Senate. Pres. Trump mentioned the SAVE Act as a priority when he spoke with Congressional Republicans earlier this week.

You can see all the legislation that we're tracking at IAPAction.com.

Rep. Cloud moves into Immigration Rankings Top 10

The first legislative week of the new year saw some movement in IAP Action's Immigration Rankings. Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) moved into the top 10 after moving up two spots with his cosponsorship earlier this week of H.R. 569, the Birthright Citizenship Act. This bill would restrict the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to children born in the United States unless at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident. IAP Action rates H.R. 569 as Key Legislation.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) made the biggest move of the week, moving up 20 spots to No. 87 after he also cosponsored the Birthright Citizenship Act. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) made the biggest move in the Senate, moving up 9 spots to No. 25 after he cosponsored Sen. Lee's SAVE Act. The Senate version of the SAVE Act now has 33 cosponsors.

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) had the biggest fall, dropping five spots to No. 366 in the House rankings. Rep. Tonko cosponsored H.R. 4456, the Stop ICE from Kidnapping U.S. Citizens Act. The bill would restrict ICE from detaining citizens who interfere in a lawful arrest.

Immigration Articles

Reuters: US appeals court fast tracks $100,000 H-1B visa fee dispute

On Christmas Eve, a U.S. district judge affirmed the Trump Administration’s right to require a $100,000 fee for H-1B applications. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already gotten an appeals court to expedite its appeal of the ruling.

U.S. Department of Labor: DOL and DHS to Supplement H-2B Cap with 35,000 Additional Visas for Fiscal Year 2026 to Assist American Businesses with Seasonal Workforce

The Departments of Homeland Security and Labor have decided to use the discretion given them by Congress to authorize an additional 35,000 H-2B seasonal non-agricultural visas for the fiscal year, despite a consistent history of abuse of these visas.

New York Times: 2 Navy Service Members Accused of Entering Sham Marriages With Chinese Nationals

“Federal prosecutors say two female service members are facing fraud charges after having accepted thousands of dollars for the marriages.”

Next Week

The House and Senate are both in Washington, D.C., for votes next week. Funding the government is the name of the game until the end of January.