Senate GOP Defeats Schumer Bid to Kill $1.8 Billion DOJ Fund as 3 Republicans Break Ranks
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4
Senate GOP Defeats Schumer Bid to Kill $1.8 Billion DOJ Fund as 3 Republicans Break Ranks
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4
Summary
Senate Republicans blocked Chuck Schumer’s first motion to strip the $1.8 billion Justice Department payout fund from the immigration bill after holding the vote open for more than two hours.
Three GOP senators — Susan Collins, Dan Sullivan and Jon Husted, all up for reelection this year — backed Schumer, while leaders worked to contain broader Republican unease over the fund.
Schumer’s proposal was notable because it needed only a simple majority; later amendments from Democrats and Republicans including Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy are likely to face a 60-vote threshold.
The fight is unfolding during a vote-a-rama with no practical cap on amendments, and changes to the fund could split Republicans enough to endanger the underlying roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement bill.