House Republicans push to reroute frozen USAID funding into deporting illegal immigrants

EXCLUSIVE: A group of House Republicans is pushing for Congress to reroute foreign aid funding frozen by President Donald Trump into enhanced deportation efforts of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is unveiling his Restoring American Sovereignty Act on Thursday, backed by fellow House Freedom Caucus members Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.

“Americans were put last at nearly every turn during the Biden administration. This was evidenced by the criminal crossing crisis at our southern border and the wasteful distribution of taxpayer dollars by agencies like USAID,” Ogles said.

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A group of House Republicans wants to use President Trump’s foreign aid freeze to add more funding toward illegal immigrant deportation efforts. (Getty/AP)

He said his bill would “utilize the USAID funding paused by President Trump to deport illegal aliens from the United States.”

Tiffany said the bill “ensures our tax dollars fund Americans’ security” and called the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) an “international money laundering scheme.”

“America has spent billions of taxpayer dollars funding Democrats’ pet projects in countries that despise us and everything we stand for,” Biggs said.

Trump paused most foreign aid for a period of 90 days to give his new administration time to evaluate what money going overseas aligns with his agenda.

Rep. Andy Ogles is leading the bill, which is co-sponsored by Reps. Andy Biggs and Tom Tiffany. (Michael M. Santiago)

He and Secretary of State Marco Rubio included carve-outs for emergency needs.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiated a crackdown on USAID earlier this week. As of Friday, Feb. 7, nearly all of USAID’s overseas employees will be put on administrative leave.

Republicans have argued that USAID has long been mismanaged and that it was sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to LGBTQ initiatives and other social causes overseas. They have also accused the agency of stonewalling GOP oversight efforts.

Democrats have heavily criticized the rollback, attacking Musk as an un-elected bureaucrat whose businesses also rely on government contracts. They’ve also argued that freezing USAID funding imperils critical initiatives like cancer and HIV research in Africa.

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Ogles’ bill is a brief two pages, stating that “funds paused pursuant to” Trump’s executive order on foreign aid “may be made available and used by the President to deport illegal aliens from the United States,” according to legislative text viewed by Fox News Digital.

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The Tennessee Republican is one of Trump’s most vocal allies in the House of Representatives. 

Last month, he introduced a bill to authorize Trump to buy Greenland and a constitutional amendment paving the way for him to have a third White House term.