The Senate voted 52-47 to approve legislation providing an additional $70 billion for immigration enforcement. No Democrats supported the bill, and one Republican voted against it.
Republicans accused Democrats of “defunding” Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol despite these agencies having a combined $100 billion in unspent funds from last year’s DHS spending package.
The House is not expected to take up the measure before next week, according to Republican leaders.
An initial move by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to kill the “anti-weaponization” fund was largely procedural. It failed 50-49 but exposed political turmoil among rank-and-file Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Republicans refused to permanently outlaw Trump’s $2 billion slush fund, leaving taxpayers reliant on a promise from Trump’s fixer, according to Schumer. The White House and Justice Department have already put the fund on hold.
Nearly all funding would go to DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agencies carrying out deportations. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy joined Democratic Senator Cory Booker in urging Judge Leonie Brinkema to maintain a block on Trump’s fund, arguing it poses an immediate threat to constitutional order and congressional authority.
Recent actions by Trump have prompted criticism from some Republicans, including the request for $1 billion in taxpayer funding for a White House ballroom and security upgrades.