WASHINGTON \u2014 The Senate began voting Thursday on a $70 billion bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump\u2019s term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans plan to pass the bill without any Democratic support. But first, they\u2019ll have to endure a \u201cvote-a-rama\u201d during which senators from either party can offer amendments, which Democrats will use to make Republicans take painful votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were some early signs of trouble as the first Democratic amendment was held open by GOP leaders for three hours, followed by multiple votes in which various factions of Republican senators broke with Trump\u2019s priorities and opposed the $1.8 billion \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund and his White House ballroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The amendment by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sought to ban the Justice Department from creating the \u201cweaponization\u201d pot of money. Democrats and some Republicans see it as a \u201cslush fund\u201d to funnel taxpayer money to pay Jan. 6 rioters and other Trump allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It failed 49-50, but three Republicans voted with Democrats in support of it: Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska. All face tough 2026 re-election bids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The contentious issue forced Republicans to abandon plans to take up the bill two weeks ago. But problems have lingered as the Trump administration gives mixed signals about the fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before Congress on Tuesday that the administration is \u201cnot moving forward with the fund.\u201d But Trump said he\u2019s not ready to do away with it yet. \u201cThe weaponization fund, as far as I\u2019m concerned, was a beautiful thing,\u201d the president told reporters Wednesday. \u201cI love it. I think it\u2019s so important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., forced a vote on an amendment to redirect the $1.8 billion to an anti-fraud unit. A dozen Republicans voted with him, including John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who were recently defeated in primaries by Trump-backed opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re explaining, you\u2019re losing. There\u2019s no way to explain the $1.776 [billion] fund. So the only way you can explain it is explain that you got rid of it. It\u2019s that simple,\u201d said Tillis, who is retiring at the end of this term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think that the Republicans should do the stump speech test on this issue, particularly the ones who are in cycle. \u2018I stand solidly behind an administration that wants to potentially provide compensation to people who assaulted Capitol Police officers. I stand fully behind that.\u2019 Test that on the stump and see how it works out for you,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Tillis amendment failed 15-84 as most Democrats objected, saying the money should be withheld, not redirected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cassidy, meanwhile, signed on to an amicus brief with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., laying out a detailed argument against the constitutionality of the fund and calling it \u201can immediate and dire threat to our constitutional order and the authority of Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By early evening, there was still chatter about the need to add some provision to the bill to shut down or limit the anti-weaponization fund, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, warning that failure to do so may scuttle the bill in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf it doesn\u2019t limit it, if it still is viewed that there could be an opportunity for the department or the president to gain access to a fund that has some of the same contours that we\u2019re dealing with, as it was presented to us, I think you, you lose, you lose this vote on final,\u201d Murkowski told NBC News. \u201cThere\u2019s enough people who really have great, grave concerns about the fund.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another amendment, by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., sought to prohibit funding for Trump\u2019s ballroom \u2014 either federal funds or private donations, which Trump said he\u2019s relying on \u2014 without approval from Congress. Seven Republicans voted for it \u2014 including Collins, Husted and Sullivan. It got 53 votes but fell short of the 60 needed to get adopted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats insist they won\u2019t let up on the anti-weaponization fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrump\u2019s slush fund is anything but beautiful \u2014 it\u2019s heinous, and it won\u2019t die until we permanently ban it by law. Not by language, not by verbal promises, which can just evaporate, but by law,\u201d Schumer said Thursday. \u201cWith the whole country watching, Republicans will have to choose: either support the slush fund or ban it. They can come up with 10 excuses. It\u2019s a yes or no: support the slush fund or ban it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schumer vowed that Democrats would also force votes on undoing a provision in Trump\u2019s settlement with the IRS that prohibits the agency from auditing him or his family in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other Republicans say they trust Blanche that the administration won\u2019t try to revive the weaponization fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said Thursday that she would \u201cprobably not\u201d support an amendment to bar it \u201cbecause the administration has already done away with it, so there\u2019s no sense beating a dead horse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a puzzle for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., whose goal is to keep at least 50 out of the 53 Republican senators on board for an ICE and the Border Patrol funding bill that can pass and get Trump\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a simple bill,\u201d Thune said. \u201cIt will do nothing more than fund Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the next three years. And why are we doing this bill? … Because Democrats have refused to fund border security or immigration law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats have said they will not fund ICE or the Border Patrol unless Republicans agree to new limits on the agencies after officers killed two Americans in Minnesota, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The two parties have been unable to agree on reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The House is expected to vote on the bill after it passes the Senate, although it\u2019s unclear when that would occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n