GOP Senators Stall $70 Billion Immigration Bill as DOJ Fund Questions Dog Todd Blanche
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 2
GOP Senators Stall $70 Billion Immigration Bill as DOJ Fund Questions Dog Todd Blanche
9 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 2
$70 billion in immigration enforcement funding remains stuck as enough GOP senators say unresolved questions about the DOJ’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” could block the bill’s revival this week.
Todd Blanche returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday under pressure to clarify whether the administration is abandoning the fund after he previously refused to rule out payouts including to Jan. 6 rioters.
Republicans are split over a DOJ statement saying it would respect a court order: John Cornyn called the fund moot, while Chuck Grassley, Lisa Murkowski and others said Trump must explicitly kill it.
John Thune said the Senate should know Tuesday whether the bill can move, even as leaders strip DOJ language from the package to make related Democratic amendments harder to pass.
The dispute reaches beyond the Senate, with House Republicans calling the fund “DOA,” weighing a statutory ban, and warning that any anti-fund language not backed by Trump could sink the broader bill.
What is the contingency plan for immigration funding if the $70 billion package remains stalled?
Who will ultimately decide who receives money from the controversial $1.8 billion 'weaponization' fund?