Republicans Threaten Trump's $2 Billion DOJ Fund as Bipartisan Revolt Jeopardizes $72 Billion Border Bill
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
Republicans Threaten Trump's $2 Billion DOJ Fund as Bipartisan Revolt Jeopardizes $72 Billion Border Bill
11 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
$2 billion in DOJ "anti-weaponization" money is now at risk from Senate Republicans, with at least half the GOP conference raising objections in a closed-door meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
$72 billion for ICE and Border Patrol over 3.5 years has been caught in the fallout because Republicans fear a vote-a-rama could produce bipartisan amendments curbing or effectively killing the fund.
Chuck Schumer said Democrats will force votes wherever the issue surfaces, including reconciliation and appropriations, and are preparing amendments such as barring people convicted of rape, sexual assault or Jan. 6 police assaults from accessing money.
Trump's backing of primary challengers to Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn has added strain to already uneasy ties with Senate Republicans, widening resistance beyond a few holdouts.
The DOJ says the fund is separate from reconciliation, but senators overseeing the department see it as inseparable from the broader package, leaving Trump to resolve a dispute threatening his legislative agenda.
Beyond the stalled immigration bill, what are the cascading economic effects of this legislative impasse?
How might this new fund's oversight model influence the future independence of federal agencies?