The U.S. Senate passed a $70 billion budget reconciliation funding package to restore funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over the next three years.
The bill’s passage comes after a tumultuous effort that included a partial government shutdown, the removal of a $1 billion proposal to fund the White House ballroom found in the funding package, and immense backlash over the unrelated Department of Justice’s (DOJ) $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization” Fund – a program that seeks to compensate allies of President Trump who claim the Biden administration wrongfully targeted them.
Despite the hurdles, the Senate voted 52-47 in a voting marathon known as a "vote-a-rama.” The “vote-a-rama” allows the chamber to pass the legislation with a simple majority, but allows federal lawmakers on both sides to amend the proposed bill without limit.
Senate GOP Strikes Down Efforts To Curtail "Anti-Weaponization Fund"
After nearly 19 hours of deliberation, the bill’s final vote was cast just before 5 a.m. EST after Senate Republicans narrowly curtailed multiple efforts by members of both parties to add provisions to the package that would permanently prohibit the “Anti-weaponization fund.”
According to The Associated Press (AP), the Senate GOP cleared the last major hurdle after it struck down Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) proposed amendment that called for the redirection of the settlement fund from President Trump’s political allies to members of law enforcement who sustained injuries during the Capitol riots.
Additionally, the Senate GOP rejected a second effort to ban the settlement fund proposed by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Sen. Tillis instead advocated using the money to fund a separate anti-fraud fund at the DOJ.
“This would have been done several hours ago if we weren’t having to deal with some of the issues around the fund,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said amid the marathon.
The bill is now set to head to the U.S. House of Representatives.
