House Done for the Summer; Senate with Two Weeks Left

The House wrapped up a productive week and is now in recess until the week of August 31st. It is customary for Congress to leave town for the entire month of August to hit the campaign trail and spend some time in their districts.

Judiciary Committee Advances Bill to End Border Surges

The House Judiciary Committee marked up and passed Rep. Chip Roy’s H.R. 9773, the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act. The bill is similar to the previous Congress’s H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, and would codify all of President Trump’s policies that ended the Biden border crisis. We are disappointed that this bill omits mandatory E-Verify, but a political decision was made to focus it entirely on border security.

The Immigration Accountability Project sent a letter to Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and immigration subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA), urging the committee to pass the bill.

The bill would:

• Permanently end catch-and-release so illegal border crossers are not allowed to enter and remain in the country;
• Stop abuse of humanitarian parole by strictly defining when, how, and for how long it may be granted;
• Significantly reduce asylum fraud by implementing a “safe third country” policy and requiring mandatory detention of asylum seekers while their proceedings are pending; and
• Amend the TVPRA to end incentives for the trafficking of unaccompanied alien children.

House Approves Reconciliation Blueprint to Secure Elections

The House approved a blueprint for the GOP’s third attempt at a budget reconciliation bill. This bill provides instructions to committees on how to draft the actual reconciliation bill that likely will be introduced in September. As we mentioned last week, the blueprint authorizes $10 billion for grants to states for implementing voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote. 

We’ve been told by House Leadership that the reconciliation bill will include the entire SAVE America Act, in addition to the grants. The reconciliation bill requires a simple majority vote in the House and a 51-vote majority to pass the Senate. However, reconciliation is strictly limited to budgetary (not policy) issues, according to Senate rules. 

After the House vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) tossed cold water on the process, saying there are not enough votes among Senate Republicans to pass the bill. If the Senate eventually agrees to take up reconciliation 3.0, the Senate Parliamentarian will advise Senators on whether the SAVE America Act violates those rules, and Senators will have to decide whether to override her advice.

House Approves CR to Fund Government Until December

Finally this week, the House approved a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to extend government funding until December 4. Existing federal funding runs out at the end of September, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is trying to prevent Democrats from shutting down the government right before the midterms, which they have indicated they intend to do.

The Senate is working on a shorter CR.

Movement at the Top of House Immigration Rankings

With Rep. Chip Roy’s introduction of the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act, he moved up one spot to rank No. 3 overall in this week’s release of IAP Action’s House Immigration Rankings. Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC) also moved up one spot to No. 6, and Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) moved up two spots to enter the top 10.

Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) made the biggest move this week, climbing 27 spots to No. 51 overall. Rep. Guest cosponsored two bills this week that are considered Key Legislation supported by IAP Action: the SAFE for America Act (H.R. 1241), which would end the visa lottery, and the Nuclear Family Priority Act (H.R. 2705), which would end chain migration.

Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) dropped the most this week, both falling 31 spots to rank No. 183 in the House. They cosponsored Rep. Glenn Thompson’s (R-PA) agriculture amnesty bill, H.R. 9535, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act. IAP Action has identified the bill as Key Legislation and opposes it.

View the full Congressional Immigration Rankings at IAPAction.com.

Immigration Articles

Politico: Thousands of non-citizens registered to vote in NJ due to software error, governor says

New Jersey’s governor admits the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission mistakenly registered over 6,000 non-citizens to vote between June 2023 and June 2024, resulting in nearly 400 casting ballots in subsequent elections before state officials began removing them from the rolls. [The private company that handles voter registration from the MVC has since denied any “software error.”]

Daily Caller: Is DHS Caving To Corporatocracy’s Demand For Cheap Illegal Migrant Labor?

DHS officials recently met with corporate interest groups advocating for cheap foreign labor. IAP’s own Chris Chmielenski commented: “The question shouldn’t be about what policy is best for a bunch of numbers on a spreadsheet. It should be about what policy best serves American workers and upholds the rule of law. That policy is the mass deportation of illegal aliens who have violated our immigration laws and national sovereignty.”

Senator Tim Sheehy: Sheehy Introduces Bill to End H-1B Abuse, Put American Workers First

Senator Sheehy (R, MT) has introduced the Senate companion to Rep. Eli Crane’s (R, AZ) End H-1B Abuse Act of 2026. This bill temporarily suspends H-1B visa issuance for three years and permanently overhauls the H-1B program by dramatically reducing visa caps, mandating stringent wage and fee requirements, barring family dependents, ending OPT, and eliminating any pathways to permanent residency from within the United States.

Next Week

The House is out for August recess. The Senate will be in for the next two weeks and focused primarily on passing judicial and executive branch nominations, as well as government funding.