Senate Passes $70B Bill to Fund ICE, Border Patrol
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation to fund President Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies Friday morning.
Senators voted 52-47 for the $70 billion legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three years, through the end of Trump’s term.
Regular funding for these agencies had been stalled since mid-February following a partial government shutdown and a partisan standoff over the fatal shootings of two people by federal agents in January. By utilizing the fast-track reconciliation process, Senate Republicans cleared the legislation without needing Democratic votes.
However, the path to final passage was nearly derailed by a “vote-a-rama” centered on a $1.776 billion Department of Justice settlement fund.
The fund exposed deep fractures within the Senate GOP, particularly among rank-and-file members facing competitive reelection bids in the upcoming November midterms. Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio, and Dan Sullivan of Alaska joined Democrats in a 50-49 vote to kill the fund, which ultimately failed. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy also proposed an amendment to redirect the settlement payments to law enforcement officers injured during the January 6 Capitol attack, but that measure was also defeated.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recently testified before a House committee that “we are not moving forward” with the fund. However, Trump complicated the message earlier in the week by saying he still considered the fund “so important.”
Republican leaders also removed a $1 billion request for White House security upgrades tied to the president’s plans for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom to secure enough votes for passage. The House is expected to take up the immigration funding package next week.
