Senate Republicans Seek White House Fix for Trump's $1.8 Billion Fund as $70 Billion Bill Stalls
Updated
Updated · Punchbowl News · May 29
Senate Republicans Seek White House Fix for Trump's $1.8 Billion Fund as $70 Billion Bill Stalls
5 articles · Updated · Punchbowl News · May 29
Senate GOP leaders asked the White House to draft guardrails for Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund after the controversy froze a roughly $70 billion reconciliation package for ICE and CBP.
The fund has become politically toxic because payouts could reach Trump allies and Jan. 6 defendants, and senators’ concerns flared in a hostile closed-door meeting last week with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
White House resistance has left Republicans weighing their own fixes, from tighter eligibility rules to scrapping the fund entirely, but leaders still may struggle to find 50 votes to open floor debate.
John Thune wants the issue resolved in the bill’s base text before a vote-a-rama, where Democrats could force politically painful amendments and some Republicans might join them anyway.
The impasse raises the risk of a direct Trump-Senate GOP clash and adds to a broader congressional logjam, with FISA Section 702 expiring June 12 and only 40 House session days left before Election Day.
With multiple funding deadlines looming, how will Congress navigate this legislative impasse?
A judge has blocked the $1.8B fund. What legal hurdles must it now overcome to proceed?