Senate Kicks Off Marathon Vote Session on $70 Billion Bill to Fund Immigration Enforcement

The Senate began its lengthy vote session on June 4 on a $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement.

The session, known as a vote-a-rama, was made possible after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on June 2 that the Trump administration would abandon plans for a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund for individuals claiming harm by the federal government.

Democrats are preparing to force Republicans into a long series of politically sensitive votes during the vote-a-rama surrounding the immigration enforcement bill.

On June 3, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats would introduce amendments addressing the cost of living, tariffs, immigration enforcement practices, and the conflict involving Iran.

“Republicans are fighting for Trump,” Schumer said. “Democrats are fighting for the American people.”

Schumer also announced plans to introduce an amendment to prevent the creation of an anti-weaponization fund.

The vote failed, 50–49.

Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), and Susan Collins (R-Maine)—who are up for re-election this year—joined all Democrats in voting in favor of it.  

The vote was kept open for nearly three hours as Republicans debated amendments to possibly add to the legislation.

On June 3, Senate Republicans released updated legislative text that also formally removed $1 billion in funding tied to President Donald Trump’s ballroom project and White House security updates. The bill would provide funding for ICE and Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s current term on Jan. 20, 2029.

An amendment to prohibit the building of the ballroom failed, 52–47. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined all Democrats in voting in favor of it.

Meanwhile, Tillis proposed an amendment to ensure such a fund could not be reestablished in the future. The amendment failed in a 84–15 vote.

“I think even DOJ knows that this was a bad idea, and what we need to do is provide finality,” Tillis said ahead of the vote.

“They’ve said that they’ve quiesced the program, then why can’t we just take the step of statutorily eliminate the question, so that a future decision to reopen it is eliminated?”

Despite his concerns about the fund, Tillis said he remains supportive of the broader legislation, which Republicans plan to pass through a process called reconciliation that bypasses the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate.

“I would not do anything that would undermine the privilege of this reconciliation, and there are corrosive amendments that people can ultimately do that, even if I like the policy. … We need to fund DHS,” he said.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) said he has not yet decided whether to support an amendment to ban the establishment of an anti-weaponization fund.

“I think the devil’s in the details, and it just would depend on the framework and the guardrails around it,” he told The Epoch Times.

The compensation fund had sparked strong bipartisan opposition; several Republican senators previously signaled that they would not support the legislation while the proposal remained under consideration.

Trump had called for legislation funding ICE and Border Patrol by June 1. However, opposition to the proposed compensation fund delayed congressional action, preventing lawmakers from passing the bill before departing for the Memorial Day recess.

Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.