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County committee told ICE and CBP funding likely to be set through reconciliation package
Summary
At the Alameda County Personnel, Administration and Legislation Committee meeting, federal legislative consultants said recent House action leaves ICE and Customs and Border Protection funding to be addressed through a reconciliation package rather than regular appropriations; other items noted included the farm bill and a short FISA extension.
Supervisor Tam opened the May 4, 2026 meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors personnel administration and legislation committee and introduced a federal legislative update from CJ Lake.
CJ Lake, the firm providing the federal update, told the committee that both chambers of Congress were in recess but that recent House action had ended a 75-day funding standoff for the Department of Homeland Security. "The House ultimately passed the same bipartisan bill the Senate had previously approved, which basically funded the department with the exception of ICE and CBP," CJ Lake said, noting those two agencies were excluded from the enacted package.
John Assini, speaking as part of the CJ Lake team, said the House and Senate budget activity has unlocked a reconciliation vehicle that is expected to be used to fund ICE and CBP for multiple years. "It will be the vehicle for the ICE and CBP funding, which will largely extend federal funding to those two agencies for the remainder of the [current] administration," Assini said. He cautioned that further reconciliation measures face political and procedural constraints in both parties.
The presenters also summarized other recent congressional business. CJ Lake said the House passed its version of the farm bill but did not include language to reverse last year's SNAP cuts enacted through reconciliation, and that the House provided a short 45-day reauthorization for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that will require negotiation before the extension expires.
Committee members pressed the consultants on whether reforms to ICE or CBP remain viable. Assini and CJ Lake said reforms proposed by Senate Democrats were not incorporated into the budget reconciliation path and are unlikely to advance under current House and Senate majorities without a separate authorization vehicle. Assini described additional potential reconciliation packages (sometimes discussed as “reconciliation 3”) as politically difficult because offsets would likely be needed from popular programs.
There were no public comments on the federal update. The committee received the briefing; no votes or formal actions were taken.
The consultants said Congress was expected to return to session the following week, when further developments on reconciliation and pending bills could arise.
