{"id":131753,"date":"2026-06-03T16:10:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T22:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/senate-begins-voting-on-funding-immigration-enforcement-after-trumps-settlement-fund-is-dropped\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T16:48:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T22:48:20","slug":"senate-begins-voting-on-funding-immigration-enforcement-after-trumps-settlement-fund-is-dropped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/senate-begins-voting-on-funding-immigration-enforcement-after-trumps-settlement-fund-is-dropped\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate begins voting on funding immigration enforcement after Trump’s settlement fund is dropped"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Senate
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., joined from left by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., speaks to reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span>(AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Republican-led Senate is moving forward with legislation to fund immigration enforcement agencies after forcing the Trump administration to say it will drop its settlement fund for political allies<\/a> and stripping a separate proposal for White House security<\/a> from the bill.<\/p>\n

The Senate voted 53-46 on Wednesday to begin debate on the roughly $70 billion bill to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. The legislation was delayed for weeks as Republican senators navigated the various obstacles to passage created by President Donald Trump and the White House, but they are now moving quickly to pass it after paring it back to its original form.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, the goal is to get the base bill across the finish line,\u201d said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.<\/p>\n

Still, Republicans will need to find enough votes to beat back multiple amendments that Democrats \u2014 and some Republicans \u2014 say they will offer to permanently ban Trump\u2019s $1.776 billion settlement fund.<\/p>\n

After fierce Republican pushback, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told House lawmakers at a hearing on Tuesday that \u201cwe are not moving forward with the fund, period.\u201d But shortly after the Senate voted to move forward with the bill on Wednesday, Trump repeatedly defended the settlement in response to reporters\u2019 questions at the White House.<\/p>\n

When asked directly whether the fund is dead or just on hold, Trump responded: \u201cI\u2019d have to ask the lawyers, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it,\u201d Trump said of the settlement. \u201cI think it’s so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans are using a process called budget reconciliation<\/a> that enables them to pass the legislation without any Democratic votes, but they must first wade through a long series of amendment votes that could pose problems for the bill. That process is expected to start Wednesday night or Thursday.<\/p>\n

Democratic amendments will test GOP unity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Republicans said they felt reassured by Blanche’s promises to scrap the fund, which was part of a settlement resolving Trump\u2019s lawsuit against the IRS<\/a> over the leak of his tax returns. GOP senators had revolted and left town two weeks ago after the Justice Department announced the payouts, which could potentially go to participants in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol<\/a> and other Trump allies.<\/p>\n

Democrats say they want it written into the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is only a matter of time before Blanche and Trump go back on their word,\u201d said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., predicted Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

After Trump’s comments, Schumer posted on X that \u201cthis is EXACTLY why” Democrats would be forcing votes to ban it.<\/p>\n

Some Republicans also planned to try and put Blanche’s promise in writing. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has said he will offer an amendment to block any attempt at resurrecting the fund.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a sufficient number of Republicans who have been very clear they\u2019ve got concerns there,\u201d said Tillis.<\/p>\n

Thune said earlier on Wednesday that Blanche\u2019s comments were \u201cextremely helpful\u201d and that he thought most GOP senators were satisfied. He said he was working with Tillis and others who have discussed amendments as he tries to ensure he has enough votes for a simple majority in the 53-47 Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep in mind, we\u2019ve got to keep them all together, make sure we\u2019ve got 50 votes for it,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n

Money dropped for Trump’s ballroom<\/strong><\/p>\n

The legislation was also delayed by the opposition to $1 billion in security funding<\/a> for the White House, including for Trump\u2019s new ballroom<\/a>, that was added to the original bill.<\/p>\n

Democrats and some Republicans<\/a> questioned using taxpayer money for the massive project in a time of economic hardship for many voters. Democrats had planned amendments to strip that language, as well.<\/p>\n

As various side issues temporarily derailed the legislation, Republicans have said their top priority is passing the ICE and Border Patrol funding that Democrats have blocked for months in protest of the administration\u2019s immigration enforcement crackdown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But success requires GOP unity in the Senate and the House before it can reach Trump.<\/p>\n

Republican House leaders said Wednesday they would like to pass the bill before the end of the week, if the Senate can finish it. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said that House leaders were having internal conversations about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just need to make sure everybody\u2019s there,\u201d Scalise said.<\/p>\n

It was unclear how Trump\u2019s comments on the settlement would affect Republicans\u2019 votes on the immigration spending bill. In addition to defending the settlement, he also praised the Jan. 6 defendants who could get payouts, saying they had been subjected to \u201cabuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friction between White House, Senate threatens other priorities <\/strong><\/p>\n

Even as Republican senators have strongly defended Trump’s agenda, a growing number of them have become frustrated with the president<\/a> as he ignores what they see as their political needs.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department announced the settlement fund just as the Senate had planned to move forward on the immigration spending bill, giving Democrats an opportunity to offer amendments that could divide Republicans in an election year. That came just as Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana<\/a> and John Cornyn of Texas<\/a> both lost reelection bids after Trump endorsed their primary opponents.<\/p>\n

Trump also tapped real estate scion Bill Pulte<\/a>, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting director of national intelligence<\/a> on Tuesday, angering both Republicans and Democrats who said Pulte has no clear national security credentials. The appointment has complicated bipartisan negotiations on revising the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which expires at the end of next week.<\/p>\n

At the same time, an increasing number of Republicans are voting against Trump’s war in Iran. The House voted on Wednesday to halt U.S. military action there<\/a>, following a Senate vote<\/a> in May to advance its own war powers resolution.<\/p>\n

Thune said he wasn’t yet sure whether Republicans would be united on the immigration bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll find out,” he told reporters.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

\"Senate
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks to reporters about Democratic efforts to push back on President Donald Trump's policies, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span>(AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sen.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., heads to the chamber following a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span>(AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Homeland
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security during a hearing on the Fiscal 2027 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security, in Washington, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo\/Cliff Owen)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Cliff Owen)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., joined from left by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., speaks to reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)(AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Republican-led Senate is moving forward with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5734],"tags":[],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-131753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-associated-press"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131753"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131760,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131753\/revisions\/131760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131753"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=131753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}