Senate Passes $70B Immigration Enforcement Bill
The Senate approved a $70 billion funding package for ICE and Border Patrol through Trump's term after Republicans spent hours debating a controversial settlement fund.
According to New York Post, the final vote concluded 52-47 just before 5 a.m. Friday morning, after Republicans spent hours defeating more than two dozen amendments during an extended vote-a-rama session.
The legislation now advances to the House, which is expected to consider it early next week.
Settlement Fund Sparks Republican Discord
What should have been a straightforward vote on immigration enforcement became mired in controversy over a $1.776 billion settlement fund designed to compensate victims of government weaponization. The fund originated from a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns to the New York Times, which published them in September 2020.
Republican divisions deepened after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche informed lawmakers Tuesday that the settlement would not proceed. Despite this assurance, several GOP senators continued pressing to legislatively block the fund’s payouts.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed frustration with the delays shortly before midnight Thursday, noting the process would have concluded hours earlier without the settlement dispute.
Key Amendments Defeated
Among the rejected amendments was a proposal from Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana that would have redirected settlement payments to law enforcement officers injured during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. That amendment failed 52-47.
The provision carried particular weight given concerns that settlement funds could potentially reach supporters who attacked officers on January 6. As New York Post reports, Cassidy emphasized that despite Blanche’s comments, the fund remained part of an active settlement and could still be utilized.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York led an earlier motion to ban the settlement fund entirely, which failed 50-49 after being held open for several hours. Three Republican senators facing reelection this year—Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio, and Dan Sullivan of Alaska—voted in favor.
Another amendment from Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is retiring rather than seeking reelection, proposed banning the settlement fund while transferring the money to an anti-fraud pool at the Department of Justice. That measure also failed overwhelmingly.
Trump Creates Further Uncertainty
President Trump complicated matters Wednesday afternoon when he told reporters the settlement remained important and said he did not know whether it was dead or merely on hold, stating he would need to consult with lawyers.
Schumer warned that by rejecting the various amendments, Senate Republicans were leaving taxpayers to rely solely on promises rather than establishing genuine accountability.
Democratic Blockade Ends
The funding bill’s passage ends a Democratic blockade that began after federal agents fatally shot two anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota this past January. Democrats had demanded policy reforms as a condition for additional Department of Homeland Security funding.
Those demands included better identification requirements for federal officers and expanded use of judicial warrants for immigration enforcement operations.
Following the Minnesota shootings, Trump agreed to separate the Homeland Security bill from a larger spending measure. However, bipartisan negotiations stalled, and departmental funding lapsed in mid-February without agreement on enforcement reforms.
Congress eventually funded other DHS components at the end of April with Democratic support, but ICE and Border Patrol have operated without regular appropriations until now.
With information from New York Post
