Victory for Trump? US Senate passes $70 billion bill to fund ICE; failed to block anti-weapons fund | Today’s news
The US Senate handed President Donald Trump a victory on Friday morning (local time) when it approved a bill that would give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) an additional $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
The bill, now sent to the House of Representatives for final consideration, won a 52-47 vote to pass the bill, but did not receive support from Democrats, Reuters reported. It did not include a provision to freeze a $1.8 billion “anti-gun” fund that could be used to compensate Trump allies who said they were unfairly targeted by former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Republicans support the funding bill
Republicans continued funding with budget reconciliation after months of pushback from Democrats. According to a CBS News report, the vote on the final passage came after the chamber held a so-called “vote-a-rama” that lasted more than 18 hours. Senators could introduce an unlimited number of amendments, requiring the chamber to cast more than two dozen votes.
While Republicans largely supported the legislation, one Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski, voted against the bill.
Anti-Gun Fund “Problem Solved”
Senate Republican Leader John Thune called the anti-gun fund a “solved problem” and cited acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s congressional testimony this week that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would not move forward with it, though Democrats said his word was insufficient.
The US president’s anti-gun fund came under fire after it was announced last month, disrupting Republican leaders’ previous plan to complete the vote before the Memorial Day recess. After senators returned this week, GOP leaders asked the administration for verbal commitments to abandon the proposal, and Blanche told a House committee, “We’re not moving forward.” Still, his refusal to provide written assurances and the president’s continued praise for the idea left several senators unconvinced.
Trump intends to appoint Blanche as head of the Department of Justice
While the US president subsequently said he intended to nominate Blanche to head the DOJ, an action that would require Senate confirmation, Thune said Blanche’s nomination may face a battle, but noted that she would be an acceptable choice. “It’s very hard to believe that they’re going to bring up someone who sat in front of a House committee and made a definitive statement about it, and then somehow all of a sudden they turn around and go back to them,” Thune told reporters.
Republicans vs. Democrats in the fight against deportations
GOP leaders have accused Democrats of “defunding” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, despite the agencies having $100 billion in unused funds that were part of a larger DHS spending package enacted last year by Republicans who control Congress. The House is not expected to take up the measure until next week.
Reports indicate that much of the lengthy debate over the ICE funding bill has been overshadowed by efforts by Democrats and some Republicans to include non-immigration provisions. Their amendments aimed to block the use of both federal money and private contributions to build an extravagant 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the White House grounds that Trump proposed.
Senators also debated provisions that would prohibit the use of federal dollars for an “anti-weapon” fund. None of these amendments were approved.
The Senate passed the DHS funding bill along party lines, but disputes over the anti-gun fund and unrelated amendments signal continued partisan tensions as the measure moves to the House floor.
