The Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to start debate on a $70 billion plan to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, moving one step closer to passing one of the Trump administration’s most pressing priorities.
The 53-46 vote clears the way for the chamber to consider a series of amendments Thursday in what Capitol Hill insiders call a “vote-a-rama.” Most of them will be offered by Democrats to permanently ban the creation of a $1.776 settlement fund to compensate victims of government weaponization, a controversy which had threatened to sink the measure before it could even be voted on.
“Right now, the goal is to get the base bill across the finish line,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters after Wednesday’s vote.
At the White House, Trump repeatedly defended the settlement fund — which critics had attacked as a slush fund to pay off supporters — in response to reporters’ questions, saying “I love it” and “I think it’s so important.”
When asked directly whether the fund was dead or just on hold after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday that “we are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Trump responded: “I’d have to ask the lawyers, I don’t know.”
After Trump’s comments, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) posted on X that “this is EXACTLY why” Democrats would be forcing votes to ban the fund rather than take the White House at its word.
Some Republicans also planned to try and put Blanche’s promise in writing. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has said he will offer an amendment to block any attempt at resurrecting the fund.
“We’ve got a sufficient number of Republicans who have been very clear they’ve got concerns there,” said Tillis.
Thune said earlier on Wednesday that Blanche’s comments were “extremely helpful” and that he thought most GOP senators were satisfied.
The legislation was also delayed by the opposition to $1 billion in security funding for the White House, including for Trump’s new ballroom, that was added to the original bill and later removed.
Republican House leaders said Wednesday they would like to pass the bill before the end of this week, if the Senate can finish it.
We just need to make sure everybody’s there,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).
Republicans are using a process called budget reconciliation that enables them to pass the legislation without any Democratic votes. The gambit was also used to approve last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law on the Fourth of July.
With Post wires
