The U.S. Senate on June 5 passed legislation to provide some $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other immigration enforcement after a “vote-a-rama” on amendments to the reconciliation bill.
In a Friday morning vote, the Senate approved the measure 52–47. All Republicans voted for the measure, and all Democrats except for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who did not vote, voted against it.
The measure now heads to the House, which is expected to take it up on Monday.
The legislation is being fast-tracked under the partisan reconciliation process in order to fully close the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding gap following the start of a partial government shutdown in mid-February amid continued Democratic opposition to funding for portions of the executive department.
It includes around $72 billion to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s current term on Jan. 20, 2029.
Previously, progress on the legislation had stalled amid Senate Republicans’ opposition to a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund for individuals alleging harm caused by the federal government.
Blanche announced that the administration would end the program on June 2, a move that helped break internal Republican divisions, which threatened the bill’s final passage.
On June 3, Senate Republicans released updated legislative text that also formally removed $1 billion in funding tied to Trump’s ballroom project and White House security updates.
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.
Despite the administration’s decision to drop the compensation fund, some Republican senators continue to express concerns about the Justice Department’s proposed Anti-Weaponization Fund. Several lawmakers indicated they plan to support amendments to permanently eliminate the program, despite Blanche’s assurances that the administration no longer intends to pursue it.
During the vote-a-rama, GOP senators batted down several amendments seeking to ban the fund.
An amendment by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to block the anti-weaponization fund failed, 49–50.
An amendment offered by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) that would have reallocated the use of taxpayer funds for an anti-weaponization fund for fraud enforcement was rejected, 15–84.
Tillis had said he was introducing the amendment to ensure that the fund cannot be revived in the future.
“I think even DOJ knows that this was a bad idea, and what we need to do is provide finality,” Tillis said. “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?”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told The Epoch Times ahead of the vote that the amendment “stinks,” adding he thought it was against the president. When Trump “wants to do something, [Tillis] doesn’t want to do it,” he said.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) told The Epoch Times she was “supportive of the intent” of the Tillis amendment.
An amendment by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to compensate police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol was blocked, 52–47, not getting the 60 votes needed for passage.
Another amendment by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to forbid the anti-weaponization fund from occurring also did not get the minimum 60 votes for adoption and was voted down, 53–46.
Additionally, an amendment by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) to prohibit taxpayer dollars from going toward those who were convicted of assaulting police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, was rejected 54–45, failing to get the necessary 60 votes for adoption.
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