John Cornyn says tax and spending bill must reimburse Texas $11 billion for border security

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Texas Republicans in Congress are ramping up their requests for the federal government to reimburse Texas for years of state spending on border security.

Sen. John Cornyn told The Texas Tribune that any amount less than $11.1 billion for Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” would be “unacceptable.”

The Senator said he is not willing to vote for a spending package – also known as the budget reconciliation bill – that does not include reimbursement for Texas.

“I've seen some other numbers thrown around, but anything less than full compensation is unacceptable,” Cornyn said.

Abbott started Operation Lone Star in 2021 with a surge of state resources to the southern border as he accused the Biden administration of not doing enough to enforce immigration laws and prevent border crossings.

Since the start of the second Trump administration, Abbott and Texas Republicans in Congress have pressured President Donald Trump and congressional leaders to reimburse the state for its border security operation.

“We didn't give it, we loaned it, they need to pay us back,” Rep. Roger Williams, R-Willow Park, told The Tribune. “We did everything the federal government should have done, so we need to get the money.”

Multiple members said they are cautiously optimistic that reimbursement would be included in the budget reconciliation package, which is currently being drafted in the House of Representatives. The package will be a large collection of bills related to federal spending and taxes created to match the budget outline Congress passed last month, which promised significant cuts.

Many of the 27 Texas Republicans in Congress have the ability to strongly influence the budgeting process. This includes Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, who chairs the House Budget Committee, which is tasked with combining the budget recommendations from House committees into one bill.

Arrington told The Tribune on Thursday that the amount that may be reimbursed to Texas is undetermined, but that the “commitment is there,” from Trump and Republican leadership to compensate the state.

“I just believe that when the ink is dry on the final product that that will be in the mix,” Arrington said.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, listed reimbursing Texas as one of his five reforms he wants included in budget reconciliation in a letter to House leadership. Roy, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, has in the past held out on supporting major legislation — including last month’s budget vote — to persuade leadership to make promises or alter a bill.

Roy told The Tribune that reimbursing Texas is one of many items he is pushing for, and one that he believes will be included in the final bill.

“What was the benefit of joining the union if the union isn’t going to defend the country?” Roy said.

Roy, like many Republican members, has pushed for sharp cuts to federal spending. But the congressman doesn’t view reimbursing Texas for Operation Lone Star as contradictory to this wider goal.

“We already spent it when it was the federal government's job,” Roy, a member of the House’s budget and judiciary committees, said.

Roy said his other reconciliation priorities include an overhaul of Medicaid, repealing the Inflation Reduction Act and extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. His main focus, he added, is making sure the “math adds up” in the final bill and he is hesitant to draw any red lines.

Within the Judiciary Committee’s budget recommendations is nearly $800 million set aside for the reimbursement for state and local participation in supporting immigration enforcement and decreasing criminal gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human trafficking. While Texas would have a claim to this reimbursement, the total amount is well below the $11 billion requested by Texas Republicans and would likely be split with other states.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, is the vice-chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, which did not include refunding Texas in its portion of the budget bill. McCaul said more details need to be worked out regarding how to repay other states that funded border security efforts.

“Texas had to stand up and do the federal government's job when they weren't doing it,” McCaul said. “I think it's very appropriate that we reimburse the state and the other states that helped out as well.”

McCaul said that he wants the reimbursement of Texas to be added to the final bill – adding that the state deserves the money.

“It’s probably one of those things you don’t want to call a lot of attention to,“ McCaul said in an interview. “Sometimes it’s better to put something in and not make a lot of fanfare about it until afterwards.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said this week that he wants the House to pass the package by Memorial Day.

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