Mariana Dale

House Republicans are calling for a $659 million spending plan to deal with the border crisis caused by an unprecedented surge in Central American children entering the United States illegally on their own.

But the plan falls far short of the $3.7 billion President Barack Obama has requested to deal with the crisis, setting up a battle between Republicans and Democrats in Congress as federal agencies coping with the surge get closer to running out of money.

The supplemental bill, introduced Tuesday by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, would divert $659 million from existing federal programs to cover costs associated with the crisis.

The bulk of the funding, $405 million, would go to boost border security and immigration enforcement. The bill would also devote funding to accelerate judicial proceedings to speed up deportations and to place National Guard troops on the border.

The remainder would help cover the costs of temporarily housing minors in the U.S. and to help the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador repatriate migrants to those countries.

“The bill reflects differing priorities than the President’s request,” Appropriations Committee Spokeswoman Jennifer Hing wrote in an e-mail. “Specifically, it focuses on addressing the most pressing and immediate needs, while seeking to help solve the problem for the future. The funding provided in the bill is targeted toward urgently needed activities through the end of the fiscal year.”

The House bill wouldn’t require new funding. Instead, the cost would be offset by cuts and funds from federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Obama has asked for $3.7 billion to deal with the crisis over the next 15 months to help cover the costs of detaining, caring for and transporting unaccompanied children, as well as boosting border security, immigration enforcement and repatriation efforts.

More than 57,000 children have been apprehended at the U.S.Mexican border since October, more than twice the number from the year before. The majority of the children are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Rep. Ed Pastor, DAriz., who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said he is opposed to the House bill because it doesn’t include enough funding and calls for changes in the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The changes aim to speed up