The United States Senate delivered a major legislative win to Donald Trump early Friday after approving a bill that would allocate an additional $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement measures. The legislation will now move to the House of Representatives for final approval.
The bill cleared the Senate in a 52-47 vote, with Democrats unanimously opposing the measure. One Republican senator also voted against it.
A major point of contention during the debate was the absence of any provision blocking a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which critics claim could potentially compensate Trump allies alleging political targeting by government agencies.
Senate Republican leader John Thune defended the decision, calling the issue “settled” and pointing to testimony from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who reportedly assured lawmakers that the Justice Department would not proceed with the fund.
“I find it very hard to believe that they’re going to submit somebody who sat in front of a committee in the House and made definitive statements about this and then somehow all of a sudden turn around and go back on them,” Thune told reporters.
Democrats, however, remained unconvinced and continued to criticize the proposal throughout the debate.
The legislation is aimed at strengthening Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown over the next three years, with most of the funding directed toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations.
Republicans accused Democrats of attempting to weaken immigration agencies despite ICE and Border Patrol already holding nearly $100 billion in unused funds from a broader DHS spending package passed last year.
Debate over the immigration bill stretched late into Thursday night and was dominated not only by immigration issues but also by attempts from Democrats and some Republicans to add unrelated amendments.
Several lawmakers pushed proposals aimed at preventing federal funds or private donations from being used to construct the lavish 90,000 square foot ballroom Trump wants built at the White House.
Senators also introduced amendments seeking to permanently prohibit funding for the controversial “anti weaponization” initiative, although none of the proposals succeeded.
The Senate’s lengthy “vote a rama” session began early Thursday and concluded with the final passage vote in the early hours of Friday morning.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer attempted to block the Trump linked fund, describing it as a “slush fund” for the president’s allies.
His effort briefly disrupted proceedings after Republican senator Susan Collins sided with Democrats. She was later joined by Republican senators Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan.
Ultimately, Schumer’s proposal failed in a narrow 50-49 vote, exposing divisions within Republican ranks ahead of the November midterm elections.
Collins, Husted and Sullivan are all facing difficult reelection contests at a time when Trump’s approval ratings have slipped, including among some Republican voters.
Following the final vote, Schumer criticized Republicans for failing to permanently block the fund.
“Republicans refused to permanently outlaw Trump’s $2 billion slush fund, leaving taxpayers to rely on nothing more than a promise from Donald Trump’s personal fixer,” he said, referring to Blanche.
Although the fund has reportedly been paused by both the White House and the Justice Department, Trump himself appeared supportive of the idea earlier this week.
“I love it. I think it’s so important,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Republican senator Thom Tillis later warned that failing to formally codify Blanche’s testimony could create political problems for Republicans contesting tight races in November.
Tillis also introduced an amendment proposing that the money linked to the disputed fund instead be redirected toward fraud enforcement operations. The amendment failed in an 84-15 vote, though it received support from 12 Republicans.
Another Republican senator, Bill Cassidy, proposed his own amendment to end the fund entirely and later joined Democratic senator Cory Booker in backing a legal challenge against the initiative.
The two lawmakers argued in court filings that the fund represented “an immediate and dire threat to our constitutional order and the authority of Congress.”
Trump has faced growing criticism in recent weeks from members of his own party over several decisions, including plans for a billion dollar White House ballroom project, his nomination of Blanche as attorney general and his appointment of political ally Bill Pulte as US intelligence chief.
