Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Repays Texas For Fighting Biden’s Open Borders

Tucked within President Donald Trump’s sweeping “big, beautiful bill” is a provision that could deliver billions of dollars to Texas for expenses the state incurred on border security efforts during the Biden administration.

The legislation allocates $12 billion for a grant program that would reimburse states for costs associated with combating illegal immigration under the previous Democratic administration, Fox News reported.

Though the measure was added to the bill just hours before the final vote, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), former chairman of the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees, told the outlet that it was the result of months of behind-the-scenes negotiations.

“Early on, [Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green [R-Tenn.] and I were discussing reconciliation going through the Homeland Security Committee. And, you know, there was about $70 billion for the border,” McCaul said. “Texas bore the brunt of the federal mission the last four years and deserves to be reimbursed. And so he agreed, had a conversation with Governor [Greg] Abbott [R], and he agreed.”

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While the provision does not explicitly mention Texas, sources told Fox News Digital that it was included largely at the urging of the state’s congressional delegation.

According to those familiar with the discussions, Texas has accumulated just over $11 billion in expenses from Governor Greg Abbott’s efforts to secure the state’s southern border, Fox noted.

“The fact of the matter is, when you look at the costs that were borne, Texas had the lion’s share of [the burden] carrying out the federal mission when the Biden administration completely failed to deliver on border security,” McCaul said. “My state built the border wall and built detention facilities. We bore a lot of costs.”

Operation Lone Star alone cost the state $11.1 billion, per The Texas Tribune.

Instead of including it in the original draft of the bill, Rep. McCaul explained that congressional leaders chose to add the provision to a “manager’s amendment” introduced Wednesday night. This amendment bundled together several items that required additional time for negotiation among lawmakers, Fox reported.

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“The legislative process, it’s something I’ve gotten to know over my 20 years, and how to get things done up here. And I thought, you know, the way we worked it was strategically very smart,” McCaul told the outlet. “It’s going to the Senate now. And Senator [John] Cornyn [R-Texas] is going to take it up, be the champion in the Senate.”

The Texas Republican first met with Abbott and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on the matter in early February, the outlet reported.

McCaul said he collaborated closely on the effort with Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-Texas), who told Fox News Digital that “no state” has shouldered a greater financial burden from the border crisis than Texas.

“Texas spent $11.1 billion on border security, including $5.87 billion on personnel costs and $4.75 billion on border wall and barriers. When the federal government failed to secure our border and protect our communities, Texans stepped up,” Pfluger told the outlet.

Johnson thanked McCaul for his efforts to secure the funding in a public statement.

“Thanks to Rep. McCaul, states that stepped up to protect Americans in the face of Biden’s border catastrophe will be reimbursed for doing the work the Biden Administration refused to do,” the speaker said. “Had those patriotic governors not taken action and used the resources of their state, the devastation from Biden’s wide-open border would have been significantly worse.”

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Regarding the measure, Green said, “In the absence of help from the Biden-Harris administration, states were forced to take extraordinary measures to mitigate the crisis and protect their communities by building barrier systems and increasing law enforcement activity.”

The measure is one aspect in a multi-trillion-dollar bill that Republicans are working to pass via the budget reconciliation process, Fox added.