Republican leaders are moving forward with plans to vote on the party’s multibillion-dollar immigration funding package, quashing an internal revolt over opposition to a proposed fund to compensate individuals who say they were targeted by the federal government.
The Senate will vote Wednesday afternoon to kick-start debate on the $70 billion funding package, setting the stage for a marathon voting session known as a vote-a-rama. That vote-a-rama session could begin as early as Wednesday night, but it could slip to Thursday if Democrats prolong debate on the floor.
The funding package would allocate roughly $70 billion to federal immigration agencies for the next three years, specifically ICE and Border Patrol. The package no longer includes funds for the Secret Service, which would have dedicated funds for security enhancements to the White House ballroom project.
Senators can introduce an unlimited number of amendments during the vote-a-rama session, making it unclear when a final vote will be. Thune acknowledged some Republicans could introduce their own amendments — or consider some proposed by Democrats — but urged party members not to threaten its final passage.
“The goal is to get the base bill across the finish line, and so hopefully all of our members who have amendment ideas will ... keep in mind the need that we’ve got to keep the bill together and make sure we’ve got 50 votes for it at the end,” Thune said.
Democrats want to ban anti-weaponization fund
Democrats have hinted they will introduce amendments to ban the Justice Department from creating an anti-weaponization fund — which could garner some Republican support after several GOP senators came out against the fund last month.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche assured lawmakers on Tuesday that the recently announced $1.78 billion anti-weaponization fund is “off the table” after widespread backlash, but Democrats want to ensure it can’t be brought back in the future. Some Republicans could be considering to back those amendments if brought to the floor.
“I just feel like we just need to do a Wayback Machine and just pretend like this never existed and take whatever steps are necessary to make sure it can never exist or disperse,” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said this week. “Not in the current environment.”
Utah Sen. John Curtis declined to say whether he would back such an amendment, telling the Deseret News he would need to see specific language first. But the Utah senator didn’t close the door to implementing certain guardrails on such a fund to ensure it isn’t misused.
“There are things that probably could be done to satisfy me, as far as guardrails, but they’d have to be super robust,” Curtis said. “I think my biggest concern is: is this the way that we handle missteps by our judicial branch? I don’t think it is. I think the system is already there to handle those missteps, and I don’t think we need another system on top of it that starts with a large fund.”
The Senate will vote on the immigration funding package by the end of this week, after which it will be sent to the Senate for consideration. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Wednesday he expects the bill will pass the lower chamber, with an expected vote likely next week.