But now the House might not even take up border funding when it comes back to Washington. Some House Republicans question whether extra money is really needed, noting that DHS has the ability to reallocate funds.

“Currently, it is not clear that additional funding would be necessary,” said an aide on the House Appropriations Committee. “However, as always, the Committee will take under consideration any new requests from the agencies.”

Moreover, a sharp decline in the number of migrants crossing the border may keep the issue on the backburner.

The Department of Homeland Security reported a decline in the number of apprehensions at the southern border in July.