U.S. Senate Republicans are making a renewed push to pass the controversial $70 billion immigration enforcement funding bill, a top policy priority of President Donald Trump.
But Thursday’s efforts faced a series of obstacles, with Democrats forcing a vote on several amendments highlighting controversies related to President Trump.
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The rapid-fire vote on the amendments, known as “Vote-a-Rama,” is expected to include issues ranging from President Trump’s White House banquet to tariff policy to the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
“Amendment after amendment, vote after vote, Republicans will have to answer to the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Republicans were forced early on to confront a topic that has dominated headlines in recent weeks: President Trump’s proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.
The fund has been controversial on both sides, with some criticizing it as a slush fund for President Trump’s allies.
Several Republican lawmakers have said such a fund structure could have devastating political effects ahead of November’s midterm elections, and the Justice Department has since backed away from the project.
But Trump himself declined to say whether the fund had disappeared or was simply put on hold.
The program was created as part of a settlement following a lawsuit filed by President Trump against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), part of his administration, and is intended to provide payments to alleged victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
Senate Democrats have repeatedly called for a complete ban on such funds, rather than relying on the Trump administration’s promise not to reinstate them.
Nevertheless, on Thursday, Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic measure to permanently block the fund.
Republican Thom Tillis introduced a second amendment that would also ban settlement funds. Instead, the bill would have directed the appropriated funds to a separate anti-fraud fund within the Department of Justice. That too was rejected.
Thursday’s vote on the “anti-weaponization” fund was just the first of several votes on issues uncomfortable for Republicans.
Schumer, the top Democrat, suggested other amendments would address another part of the IRS settlement: the permanent immunity from tax audits that Trump secured for himself and his family.
Today’s amendments would also address President Trump’s controversial immigration enforcement campaign and other issues.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it was unclear whether Republicans would vote down any legislation, given the growing stance of some Republicans against Trump.
“You can’t predict how it’s going to turn out,” he said.
immigration funding bill
Thursday’s situation was the result of a standoff between Democrats and Republicans over the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.
Democrats had vowed not to approve further funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after two Americans were killed during immigration operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Republicans control 53 of the 100 seats, but fall short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
Instead, they were forced to go through a lengthy process to avoid a filibuster, which took weeks.
The $70 billion funding bill had been stalled by the Trump administration’s request to include $1 billion in security upgrades for the president’s White House ballroom project.
The request came after the president repeatedly said no tax dollars would be used for the project.
Security funding, which upset several Republicans, was later cut off before voting began.
The senator, the official who interprets the Senate’s rules, had previously ruled that adding social funds to the $70 billion bill would exempt it from the budget reconciliation process, which allows fiscal bills to pass with a simple majority.
If Senate Republicans remain united, the funding bill is expected to pass late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
The bill is expected to be considered soon in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
