EXCLUSIVE — A House Republican is set to introduce a bill seeking to continue salaries for border officials and other national security personnel in the case of a government shutdown just days before a slate of federal agencies is scheduled to lapse in funding. 

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced the legislation, titled the “Funding a Secure America Act,” on Tuesday to ensure payments for officials within the Department of Homeland Security, including those working for Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Transportation Security Administration. The bill also would cover members of the armed forces, air safety control officers, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to text of the legislation first obtained by the Washington Examiner.

Biggs “Funding a Secure America Act” by Cami Mondeaux on Scribd

The bill comes as Biggs repeatedly has called for a government shutdown until the Biden administration implements stricter security measures at the southern border, vowing to withhold his support on any spending legislation in retaliation. The legislation would act as a failsafe to ensure border security officials are still paid in the event of a government shutdown to respond to the record-high number of immigrants.

Congress is set to vote this week on temporarily extending government funding through early March, narrowly avoiding a partial government shutdown scheduled to begin Friday. Several House conservatives, including Biggs, have come out against the stopgap measure, maintaining new border legislation must be passed before the government is funded.

At least four other conservatives have signed on to co-sponsor the bill, including Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Andy Ogles (R-TN), and Ralph Norman (R-SC).

The bill comes just three days before the first government spending deadline, after which funding for a slate of federal agencies will lapse if an extension does not pass through Congress. If lawmakers manage to punt the shutdown deadline into early March, Biggs plans to hold the bill as an option for when the CR expires.

Senate and House leaders unveiled their proposal for a stopgap measure on Sunday, pushing the spending deadlines of Friday and Feb. 2 to March 1 and March 8, respectively. The new agreement would give lawmakers six weeks to finalize their must-pass spending legislation and fund the government for fiscal 2024.

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The Senate is expected to meet for votes on Tuesday evening to file cloture on legislation that will be used to advance the short-term continuing resolution, teeing it up for a vote sometime this week. However, it is unclear how quickly the CR will move through the upper chamber, especially if some Republicans push against the measure and possibly threaten a short-term shutdown.

After that, the CR must make its way through the House, where it is expected to be brought to the floor under suspension of rules, a tactic that will allow leadership to overcome conservative pushback. The legislation is expected to pass the lower chamber with support from Democrats and centrist Republicans.