The Senate passed a $70 billion funding bill for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol early Friday morning, ending months of delays and a protracted dispute over an unrelated $1.776 billion settlement fund. The 52-47 vote took place just before 5 a.m., securing funding for the enforcement agencies for the next three years through the end of President Donald Trump’s term.
The legislation now heads to the House, where a vote is expected next week.
Passage of the bill followed hours of debate as Republicans defeated several amendments from both parties aimed at permanently banning Trump’s settlement fund. The fund was established to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns, intended for allies who believe they have faced political persecution. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated earlier in the week that the fund would not move forward.
Overnight, the Senate blocked an amendment by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., that would have redirected the settlement money to law enforcement officers injured during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Cassidy defended the amendment, stating that despite the Justice Department’s comments, the fund is part of an active settlement and “absolutely can be used.” He noted that under its current framework, payouts could potentially go to individuals who participated in the Capitol attack.
The debate over the fund complicated what Republican leadership intended to be a straightforward vote focused on immigration enforcement during an election year.
“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 shortly before midnight. Thune had spent weeks urging fellow Republicans to keep the bill focused on border agency funding and to avoid adding provisions that could delay its passage in the House.
Bipartisan efforts to address the fund intensified after President Trump spoke to reporters on Wednesday, calling the fund “very important” and stating “I don’t know” when asked if it was dead or on hold.
The Senate also rejected an amendment by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., to dissolve the settlement fund and transfer the money to a Department of Justice anti-fraud fund. The amendment failed despite support from more than 10 Republicans.
Tillis argued the fund presented a political liability for the party, stating, “If Blanche says this is largely inoperative, why not use this moment to codify that? Otherwise, you’re exposing every one of our members who are in cycle to having to deal with this between today and Election Day, and that makes no sense for something that the DOJ says they’re not moving forward with.”
Following the rejection of the amendments, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the outcome, stating that Republicans are “leaving taxpayers to rely on nothing more than a promise from Donald Trump’s personal fixer. That is not accountability. That is a permission slip.”
The final vote largely followed party lines. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican to vote against the bill, while Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., missed the vote.
The approval of the bill concludes a months-long funding standoff. Senate Republicans utilized a procedural maneuver to bypass a Democratic filibuster, passing the budget legislation without Democratic votes.
Regular funding for ICE and the Border Patrol had been stalled since mid-February, when broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapsed. Democrats had blocked the money while demanding policy overhauls—including better identification for federal officers and increased use of judicial warrants—following the fatal January shootings of two protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents in Minneapolis.
While Congress approved regular funding for the rest of DHS with Democratic support in late April, ICE and the Border Patrol had remained without regular funding until Friday’s vote.
READ: GOP Clings To ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Cash As Marathon Senate Voting Grind Begins
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