Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham on Tuesday told reporters that the Trump administration is asking Senate Republicans for an immediate $175 billion in order to help secure the southern border.

Border czar Tom Homan and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Russ Vought met with Senate Republicans on Tuesday afternoon to discuss funding for their plans for border security and immigration enforcement. 

During the meeting, the pair reportedly said the high ticket cost would be spent on new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, detention beds, and other deportation resources, NBC News reported. It also is intended to cover finishing construction of the border wall.

“Tom Homan said, ‘I am begging you for money,’” Graham told reporters. “Russ Vought said that ‘we’re running out of money for ICE. We can’t rob other accounts any longer.’”

The federal government's budget has to be approved by both chambers of Congress. But the request for funding comes as Graham's committee prepares to pass its budget resolution on Wednesday. Graham also plans to approve $150 billion to expand military spending.

The amount in the request is also higher than expected. Republicans previously discussed spending $80 billion to $100 billion on immigration enforcement before President Donald Trump's inauguration. Last week, Graham projected $150 billion.

The senator also encouraged Republicans in the House to approve the new funding in its major budget reconciliation bill.

“To my friends in the House: We’re moving because we have to," Graham said. "I wish you the best. I want ‘one big, beautiful bill’ — but I cannot and I will not go back to South Carolina and justify not supporting the president’s immigration plan. We’re not building a wall, folks. We’re hitting a wall. They need the money, and they need it now.”

The House is expected to start its mark-up on its own budget resolution on Thursday. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.