The Senate voted 52-47 early Friday morning to pass a multibillion-dollar immigration enforcement package, primarily along party lines. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined Democrats in opposition during the nearly 18-hour voting session. The House is expected to consider the bill next week before sending it to President Trump, who has a deadline of June 1. The legislation allocates $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which were excluded from a previous bipartisan agreement to reopen the Department of Homeland Security following a prolonged government shutdown.
During the voting process, several amendments aimed at limiting or eliminating an "anti-weaponization" fund were rejected. This fund, totaling $1.8 billion, was part of a settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service regarding his tax forms. However, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated that the Justice Department would not proceed with the fund due to bipartisan opposition.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed returning the immigration enforcement bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee to remove the fund, which received support from three Republicans facing reelection in 2026. Various Republican senators also attempted to introduce amendments to restrict the fund, but these efforts were largely unsuccessful. Notably, the final bill did not include funding for a controversial White House ballroom project, which had initially proposed $1 billion.
Additionally, Senate Republicans attempted to advance the "Save America Act," which would impose stricter voting regulations, but it failed to secure enough support. Democrats also successfully passed a measure to prevent the newly appointed director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte, from serving as interim director of national intelligence.
