Senate Republicans advanced roughly $70 billion in funding for immigration enforcement agencies early Thursday morning after an 18-hour vote, approving a package that would extend financing through the remainder of President Trump's time in office. The measure passed 51-49 along party lines, with only Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting against it. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration, where a vote could come as early as next week.
The funding had been carved out of an earlier deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security after the longest agency shutdown in U.S. government history. DHS remained shuttered for 76 days during negotiations over immigration enforcement practices, including restrictions on face-coverings and body camera mandates for federal agents. Those mandates followed federal agents killing two American citizens in Minnesota earlier this year.
Republicans were forced to use the reconciliation process to bypass the Senate's de facto 60-vote threshold for most legislation, since Democrats refused to support the measure. The White House had originally requested Congress pass immigration funding by June 1.
What the Right Is Saying
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters last month that Republican concerns about another provision were real but navigable. "We have a lot of members who are concerned, obviously," Thune said regarding the $1.8 billion fund.
The fund originated from an out-of-court settlement to resolve a $10 billion lawsuit brought by President Trump against his own government over the 2019 leak of his tax records. Several Republican senators expressed reservations about allocating taxpayer dollars with no legal precedent or accountability, particularly those facing their own electoral challenges this November.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., wrote on X: "People are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent, affording groceries and paying for gas, not about putting together a $1.8 billion fund for the President and his allies to pay whomever they wish with no legal precedent or accountability." Cassidy recently lost his reelection race to a Trump-backed primary challenger.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche sought to ease Republican concerns during House testimony Tuesday, telling lawmakers the administration was dropping plans for the fund. However, President Trump introduced new uncertainty Wednesday when asked about the fund in the Oval Office. "I'd have to ask the lawyers," he said. "I don't know."
What the Left Is Saying
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., attempted Thursday night to send the bill back to the Senate Judiciary Committee in an effort to eliminate a separate $1.8 billion fund for individuals alleging political targeting by the government. The maneuver remained open for several hours but ultimately failed.
Democrats have pointed to the federal agents' killing of two American citizens in Minnesota as evidence that reforms to immigration enforcement practices are necessary. They sought negotiations over body camera mandates and restrictions on face-coverings worn during arrests, positions Democrats maintained throughout the shutdown negotiations.
What the Numbers Show
The immigration enforcement package totals roughly $70 billion and covers Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Border Patrol through the remainder of Trump's term.
Three Republican senators up for re-election this November supported Schumer's effort to send the bill back to committee: Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Jon Husted of Ohio. These members represent states that did not support Trump in the 2024 election.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., offered an amendment to redirect funds toward fraud enforcement rather than political target payouts. Eight GOP senators supported a measure preventing payouts from the fund to Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
The Department of Homeland Security was closed for 76 days—the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history—before a short-term funding patch allowed negotiations to continue.
The Bottom Line
The overnight vote-a-rama exposed persistent divisions within Republican ranks over both immigration enforcement priorities and the administration's separate $1.8 billion fund proposal. While passage represents a victory for Republicans who have sought immigration enforcement funding for months, uncertainty remains about whether the House will accept the Senate version and how ongoing disputes over the settlement fund might affect future negotiations.
The White House has not clarified its position on the controversial fund since Trump's Wednesday statement, leaving Republican lawmakers to decide whether to support legislation that includes provisions they find problematic. Watch for further developments from the administration regarding the settlement as the immigration funding measure moves through the House.