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Senate Negotiators Reach Deal On Emergency Funding For Border

The $4.6 billion deal was worked out between Sens. Richard Shelby and Patrick Leahy.
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Senate negotiators have come to a tentative agreement over an emergency funding bill for the U.S.-Mexico border, according to multiple outlets.

Aides say the almost $4.6 billion deal was worked out between Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, a Republican, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, who is the ranking Democrat on the panel.

Officials within Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services have warned they could soon run out of funds amid the increasing number of migrants attempting to cross the southern border.

The majority of the bill's funding — about $2.9 billion — is slated to go toward HHS, which takes care of most unaccompanied migrant children who arrive in the U.S. until officials can find a relative or sponsor to unite them with.

The deal roughly matches the $4.5 billion in emergency funding the White House requested in May for operations at the border.

The legislation still needs to be marked up by the Senate Appropriations Committee before it can be sent to the full Senate, where a floor vote is expected to happen before lawmakers leave for their July 4th recess in late June.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.