Republicans’ solution to the fight over Department of Homeland Security funding risks carving a self-inflicted scar into Congress’ power.
The potential result: even more hyperpartisan spending decisions, fewer opportunities to adjust budgets for changing needs, and less scrutiny on billions of taxpayer dollars.
Yet the maneuver Republicans are now lining up to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol is becoming normalized by both parties, congressional analysts said. If that holds, the shift would diminish one of lawmakers’ most fundamental powers — their ability to direct spending — while leaving massive sums free from annual review.
“The cat is ...