Senate Passes Immigration Enforcement Funding Bill
The Senate approved a substantial $69.5 billion settlement for immigration enforcement on Friday, although there were initial concerns regarding funding connected to weaponization and White House banquet costs.
The legislation received a 52-47 vote, allocating over $30.73 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), around $22.57 billion to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and more than $2.5 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through 2029. This agreement followed a $1.8 billion contribution from the administration, which missed President Donald Trump’s deadline of June 1. Resistance from the Anti-Weaponization Fund had posed a risk to its passage.
Notably, the settlement needed just a simple majority, needing 51 votes to move forward. Senate Republicans crafted the bill after Democrats opted not to defund DHS, which had been inactive for 76 days following a prominent mass shooting linked to an immigration worker in Minneapolis in January.
Interestingly, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska was the sole party member to oppose the bill.
A few Republicans, such as Thom Tillis from North Carolina, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, and Katie Britt from Alabama, expressed concerns that funds from the Department of Justice (DOJ) might end up compensating rioters convicted of assaulting police on January 6, 2021. Senate Majority Leader John Thune mentioned he wasn’t particularly supportive of the fund, suggesting it needed certain safeguards.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated on Tuesday that the administration would not proceed with overseeing the fund. The chamber voted to return the funding package to the Senate Judiciary Committee, aiming to add stipulations to prevent the fund’s reestablishment.
However, an amendment proposal failed with a 49-50 vote, with Republican Senators Susan Collins, Jon Husted from Ohio, and Dan Sullivan from Alaska aligning with Democrats in support. All three are up for re-election in 2026.
Sen. Thom Tillis introduced a separate amendment directing DOJ funds toward fraud enforcement, but it was defeated in a 15-84 vote. Tillis had already announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in June 2025, particularly after Trump indicated he would back Tillis’s opponent in the “Big Beautiful Bill” initiative.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, who had previously diverged from his party in voting, stated he would oppose the funding package. “I’m going to vote with my party,” Fetterman remarked.
The legislation also faced hurdles from Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth McDonough, who rejected four bills on the grounds that they violated the Byrd Rule, which dictates that provisions must have a direct and non-incidental impact on the federal budget. This ruling affected funding for CBP, DHS appropriations, and additional resources for unaccompanied immigrant children.
Furthermore, McDonough ruled that $1 billion designated for security improvements related to the White House ballroom construction went against Byrd rules, leading Senate Republicans to eliminate those funds from the revised legislation. With this development, it appears Trump will apply pressure to replace McDonough with Thune and Senate Republicans.
