Senate approves $70 billion immigration enforcement bill
The Senate voted early Friday morning to approve a $70 billion immigration enforcement package that includes nothing to rein in the administration's so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund."
The immigration enforcement bill passed by a vote of 52-47.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to join all Democrats in voting against the bill. All other Senate Republicans voted for it, giving the legislation enough support to be narrowly approved. Republicans applauded as the bill was gaveled down early Friday morning.
The bill now heads to House of Representatives, which is not expected to take it up for consideration until next week.
The Senate sends this bill to the House with no language that would in any way restrict or permanently end the administration's so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund."
The Department of Justice created the $1.8 billion fund in exchange for President Donald Trump agreeing to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. But after backlash, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier this week the DOJ was scrapping plans for the fund, though Trump has continued to defend it as a "beautiful thing."
Democrats and some Republicans wanted to use the more than 18-hour voting process overnight to amend the bill to include something to rein in fund, but they ultimately failed to get the votes necessary to approve a single amendment related to it.
There were several Republicans who supported amendments to curtail the fund throughout the process, including Sens. Murkowski, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, Jon Husted, Dan Sullivan and Susan Collins.
That support, however, wasn't enough to make any of those amendments stick and, despite previously expressing reservations about supporting this bill if amendments to rein in the fund went unapproved, Tillis and Cassidy both ultimately supported final passage of the immigration enforcement bill.
"After tonight's vote, it's clear to Americans that Republicans refuse to outlaw Donald Trump's $2 billion slush fund," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat, said on the Senate floor. "Now the whole country can see the truth: Republicans fought like hell to please Donald Trump and his slush fund but didn't lift a finger to help working Americans lower their costs."
