Senate Republican leaders reportedly are confident they'll be able to pass their $70 billion immigration enforcement bill tonight, but not without some "vote-a-rama" drama fueled by concerns over the Justice Department's plan for a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, which some lawmakers fear may be the Schrödinger's cat of the Trump administration, both dead and alive at the same time.
A push by some Republican senators to ensure that the fund was really dead and abandoned, or at least limited by law, complicated GOP leaders' plan Thursday to finally pass their funding bill for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol after a two-week delay. The opposition from a band of Republican lawmakers created massive uncertainty for a marathon series of Senate votes, known as a vote-a-rama, required as part of the reconciliation process Republicans are using to pass the immigration funding. Amending the immigration bill to address the payout fund could further divide Republicans and threaten the larger package, even as some in the GOP have indicated they would oppose the bill if it doesn't address the payout fund.
Democrats also promised to use the process to bring up a flurry of politically tricky votes, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed confidence that the immigration funding would ultimately be approved. "When all the political statements have been made, we will pass the underlying bill and be one step closer to funding border security and immigration law enforcement for the next three years," he said on the Senate floor.
First amendments fail: Republicans managed to vote down multiple attempts to formally block the Trump payout fund, including a 50-49 vote to reject a Democratic motion that would have sent the bill back to committee for language to be added to officially nix the fund.
"America has never seen a more clear-cut case of corruption than Donald Trump's slush fund," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said before bringing up that amendment. "Trump sues Trump, Trump settles with Trump, Trump gives Trump Americans' taxpayer dollars."
Three Republicans voted for the Democratic motion: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, all of whom face tough reelection fights. GOP leaders held the vote open for more than two hours to address concerns from other Republicans and ensure that the amendment failed to clear the simple majority threshold it needed to be adopted.
12 Republicans vote to target payout fund: Senators also rejected an amendment proposed by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina that would have redirected money that would have been used for the "anti-weaponization" fund toward "fraud enforcement" at the Justice Department. That amendment failed in a bipartisan 15-84 vote that saw 11 Republicans and three Democrats join with Tillis.
The Senate also voted 46-53 to reject an amendment to prohibit funding for Trump's White House ballroom.
How we got here: Critics have decried the administration's payout plan, calling it a slush fund designed to direct taxpayer money to President Trump's allies. The idea that rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, would stand to benefit had drawn widespread outrage, including from lawmakers.
Republicans had hoped to defuse the threat posed by the "anti-weaponization" fund and ensure that it did not imperil their funding bill. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House panel Tuesday that the administration will not move ahead with its plan, but he refused to put that pledge in writing. Trump then sowed new doubts about the issue when he told reporters yesterday that he was not sure if the fund is finished or just on hold, adding that he loves the idea of the fund and believes it to be important.
What's next: If the bill makes it through the Senate tonight, House GOP leaders are looking to vote on it Friday. Some House Republicans are also intent on blocking the "anti-weaponization" fund, meaning that there could be more drama ahead. Republican leaders are eager to wrap up this reconciliation package and move on to other priorities as election season heats up.