GOP Leaders Kill $72 Billion Immigration Bill as Trump’s $1.8 Billion Jan. 6 Fund Sparks Revolt
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 26
GOP Leaders Kill $72 Billion Immigration Bill as Trump’s $1.8 Billion Jan. 6 Fund Sparks Revolt
10 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 26
$72 billion in immigration legislation was pulled and $1 billion for a White House ballroom was blocked after Senate Republicans erupted over Donald Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion fund tied to Jan. 6 defendants.
At a closed-door session, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced sharp backlash; Ted Cruz said about half the roughly 45 senators were “screaming,” calling it a “full-on revolt.”
Republican critics including Mitch McConnell, Bill Cassidy and Ron Johnson denounced the plan as a slush fund for people convicted of assaulting police and other Jan. 6 crimes, though Tommy Tuberville defended it as aid for “innocent patriots.”
The money would come from Trump’s settlement with the IRS over leaked tax returns, turning a legal victory into a flashpoint over his long-running effort to recast Jan. 6 rioters as patriots.
The clash marks a rare public break with Trump in his second term, though the report says Congress could still end in a compromise that preserves some version of the fund.
How does this $1.8B settlement fund alter the traditional oversight of government spending?
With confidential payouts and no fraud liability, how can this new fund ensure accountability?