The Republican majority in the United States Senate occasionally gets something right, and last night Senators passed legislation that would provide the Department of Homeland Security with an additional $70 billion for immigration enforcement, sending it to the House of Representatives for final consideration.
The Senate voted 52-47 to approve the legislation, with no support from Democrats and no provision to ban a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that could compensate Americans who were mistreated by the Biden administration. One Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski, voted against the bill.
The contretemps over President Trump’s requested anti-weaponization fund was largely a phony battle for media attention by Democrats in view of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s congressional testimony that the Department of Justice would not move forward with it, though Democrats have said his word was insufficient.
“I find it very hard to believe that they’re going to submit somebody who sat in front of a committee in the House and made definitive statements about this and then somehow all of a sudden turn around and go back on them,” Thune told reporters. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
CNBC reported that much of Thursday’s long debate over the ICE funding bill was overshadowed by efforts from Democrats, and some Republicans, to insert language unrelated to immigration, especially the anti-weaponization fund and the White House ballroom.
The hours-long digression was prompted by a move by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to kill the “anti-weaponization” fund, which Democrats call a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies, brought the session to a largely procedural halt after Republican Senator Susan Collins voted for the motion.
Collins was later joined by fellow Republicans Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan.
Schumer’s measure failed in a 50-49 vote, however, other Senators sought their own amendments to eliminate the fund permanently, to better position themselves in opposition to President Trump five months before the November midterm elections.
The amendments were a test of party unity that complicated what should have been an easy vote for Republicans who wanted to keep the focus on immigration enforcement in an election year. Instead, they spent almost a full day haggling among themselves over whether to block the settlement fund, even after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had said earlier this week that it would not go forward.
However, the President raised new doubts about the fund’s future on Wednesday – just after the Senate had voted to start debate on the bill – when he told reporters that it is “very important” and said “I don’t know” whether it is dead or on hold.
Enactment of the bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol would end the funding blockade by Democrats who have used budget process delays as a backdoor “defund the police” strategy.
Senate Republicans used a complicated procedural maneuver to get around the filibuster and pass the budget legislation with no Democratic votes, noted Mary Clare Jalonick and Joey Cappelletti of the Associated Press.
Alleged Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to join all Democrats in voting against the bill. All other Senate Republicans voted for it, giving the legislation enough support to be narrowly approved. Republicans applauded as the bill was gaveled down around 5:00 a.m. this morning.
After the legislation was passed, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, tweeted: “Senate Republicans delivered yet again by approving $69.5 billion to fund Border Patrol and ICE through President Trump’s entire second term. We were forced to use the reconciliation process because Democrats objected – during the appropriations process – to giving any money to Border Patrol and ICE, effectively shutting our border security down at a time of growing threats to the nation. I’m very proud of my Republican colleagues for sticking together and making sure that Border Patrol and ICE are fully funded and the border continues to be modernized and secured – all without one Democrat vote.”
The Senate-passed bill would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol for the next three years, through the end of President Trump’s term. The bill now heads to House of Representatives, which is not expected to take it up for consideration until next week.
Under normal circumstances, conservatives would applaud the passage of a bill that funds ICE and the Border Patrol, and we are pleased the bill passed, but it also prompts us to note that Republicans in the Senate are apparently incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time, as they could not muster the same vigor to pass the SAVE America Act election integrity bill.
The impossibly slow pace of Senate action is due largely to the fact that the GOP “majority makers,” such as Senators Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, John Cornyn, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, barely qualify as Republicans and are often only too happy to join Democrats in stymieing President Trump’s agenda.
Now that the ICE and Border Patrol funding has passed, we urge conservatives to call their Senators TODAY to "up the pressure" on the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act. The Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121, enlist everyone you know to call and demand action on the SAVE America Act.
The Senate voted 52-47 to approve the legislation, with no support from Democrats and no provision to ban a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that could compensate Americans who were mistreated by the Biden administration. One Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski, voted against the bill.
The contretemps over President Trump’s requested anti-weaponization fund was largely a phony battle for media attention by Democrats in view of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s congressional testimony that the Department of Justice would not move forward with it, though Democrats have said his word was insufficient.
“I find it very hard to believe that they’re going to submit somebody who sat in front of a committee in the House and made definitive statements about this and then somehow all of a sudden turn around and go back on them,” Thune told reporters. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
CNBC reported that much of Thursday’s long debate over the ICE funding bill was overshadowed by efforts from Democrats, and some Republicans, to insert language unrelated to immigration, especially the anti-weaponization fund and the White House ballroom.
The hours-long digression was prompted by a move by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to kill the “anti-weaponization” fund, which Democrats call a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies, brought the session to a largely procedural halt after Republican Senator Susan Collins voted for the motion.
Collins was later joined by fellow Republicans Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan.
Schumer’s measure failed in a 50-49 vote, however, other Senators sought their own amendments to eliminate the fund permanently, to better position themselves in opposition to President Trump five months before the November midterm elections.
The amendments were a test of party unity that complicated what should have been an easy vote for Republicans who wanted to keep the focus on immigration enforcement in an election year. Instead, they spent almost a full day haggling among themselves over whether to block the settlement fund, even after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had said earlier this week that it would not go forward.
However, the President raised new doubts about the fund’s future on Wednesday – just after the Senate had voted to start debate on the bill – when he told reporters that it is “very important” and said “I don’t know” whether it is dead or on hold.
Enactment of the bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol would end the funding blockade by Democrats who have used budget process delays as a backdoor “defund the police” strategy.
Senate Republicans used a complicated procedural maneuver to get around the filibuster and pass the budget legislation with no Democratic votes, noted Mary Clare Jalonick and Joey Cappelletti of the Associated Press.
Alleged Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to join all Democrats in voting against the bill. All other Senate Republicans voted for it, giving the legislation enough support to be narrowly approved. Republicans applauded as the bill was gaveled down around 5:00 a.m. this morning.
After the legislation was passed, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, tweeted: “Senate Republicans delivered yet again by approving $69.5 billion to fund Border Patrol and ICE through President Trump’s entire second term. We were forced to use the reconciliation process because Democrats objected – during the appropriations process – to giving any money to Border Patrol and ICE, effectively shutting our border security down at a time of growing threats to the nation. I’m very proud of my Republican colleagues for sticking together and making sure that Border Patrol and ICE are fully funded and the border continues to be modernized and secured – all without one Democrat vote.”
The Senate-passed bill would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol for the next three years, through the end of President Trump’s term. The bill now heads to House of Representatives, which is not expected to take it up for consideration until next week.
Under normal circumstances, conservatives would applaud the passage of a bill that funds ICE and the Border Patrol, and we are pleased the bill passed, but it also prompts us to note that Republicans in the Senate are apparently incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time, as they could not muster the same vigor to pass the SAVE America Act election integrity bill.
The impossibly slow pace of Senate action is due largely to the fact that the GOP “majority makers,” such as Senators Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, John Cornyn, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, barely qualify as Republicans and are often only too happy to join Democrats in stymieing President Trump’s agenda.
Now that the ICE and Border Patrol funding has passed, we urge conservatives to call their Senators TODAY to "up the pressure" on the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act. The Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121, enlist everyone you know to call and demand action on the SAVE America Act.
