Sen. Cornyn pushes for $11.1 billion in federal reimbursement for Texas border security costs

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) announced Thursday that he will introduce legislation in the U.S. Senate to secure $11.1 billion in federal reimbursement for Texas’ border security spending under Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. The move is aimed at recouping costs Texas has incurred from deploying the state’s National Guard and Department of Public Safety to the U.S.–Mexico border in response to what Republicans describe as inadequate federal enforcement.

Cornyn’s legislation mirrors a House version introduced earlier this year by Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), known as the Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act. That bill laid out a process whereby Texas would submit detailed expense reports to the Department of Homeland Security, which would verify the legitimacy of the claims before forwarding approved costs to the Department of the Treasury for reimbursement.

“Texas taxpayers should not have to foot the bill alone as a result of President Biden’s mishandling of border policy,” Cornyn said in a January statement, echoing long-standing Republican criticisms of the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.

During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Cornyn reiterated his belief that the border crisis stems not from a lack of legal authority, but from what he called a failure of federal will.

“What we found is, we didn’t need new laws, we just needed a new president, and one that was committed to enforcing the laws on the books,” Cornyn said, referring to President Donald Trump’s return to influence over Republican border security priorities.

Since taking office again in January, Trump has issued executive orders to ramp up border enforcement and authorized the deployment of additional personnel along the southern border. Cornyn credited Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for encouraging the timing of the Senate bill, saying both leaders were “very familiar with the contents of the legislation” and had been working closely on the effort.

Cornyn emphasized that the bill would utilize the budget reconciliation process to insert the reimbursement into the broader federal budget, a method that would allow it to pass the Senate with a simple majority, bypassing the filibuster.

Operation Lone Star, launched by Gov. Abbott in 2021, has cost the state billions in its ongoing effort to stem illegal border crossings and drug trafficking through state-led enforcement. While immigration and border security are constitutionally federal responsibilities, Abbott has insisted that the Biden administration’s policies have left Texas no choice but to act independently.

Cornyn said he hopes the reimbursement can be approved and begin reaching Texas by the end of July, pending legislative progress and coordination with federal agencies.

Democrats in both chambers have signaled skepticism about reimbursing Texas for what they characterize as a political stunt and redundant enforcement, pointing out that many Operation Lone Star arrests have been for state-level crimes unrelated to immigration.

Still, with Republican majorities in the House and growing momentum around border security legislation, Cornyn’s bill could have a viable path forward—particularly if it remains tied to broader budget negotiations.

“The bottom line is this,” Cornyn said. “Texas did the job the federal government should have been doing. Now it’s time for Washington to pay its fair share.”