Senate stalls DHS funding over $1.8B

Senate Republicans left Washington on Thursday without voting on a roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies, after a fight inside the party over a proposed $1.776 billion settlement fund and earlier controversy around money tied to President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom. President Trump had wanted the package on his desk by June 1, but the Senate is now in recess and will miss that target. CNBC reported the package would have funded immigration enforcement agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. ### Why did the Senate leave without taking the vote Republicans had planned? Thursday’s collapse came after Senate Republicans concluded they did not have enough support to move the bill before the Memorial Day recess. The Associated Press reported that Republican senators were frustrated with the White House and deadlocked over whether to try to block the new settlement fund, which would compensate Trump allies who say they were politically prosecuted. (cnbc.com) President Trump’s June 1 deadline had already become harder to meet after procedural delays and internal GOP objections. CNBC reported that Democrats planned to force amendment votes on Trump’s proposed ballroom and the new settlement fund, setting up politically difficult votes for Republicans during the floor process. ### What exactly is the $1.8 billion fund that triggered the latest fight? (apnews.com) The White House-backed provision at the center of the dispute is a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. AP said the money was intended for payouts to Trump allies who believe they were politically prosecuted. The Wall Street Journal described it as an administration proposal that drew concern from Republican senators over legality and guardrails. (cnbc.com) Republican resistance widened because the fund landed after senators were already defending other Trump-linked provisions in the same package. AP and CNBC both described the settlement fund as the immediate flashpoint that derailed the broader immigration vote. ### How did Trump’s ballroom project get tied to the same bill? Earlier this week, Senate Republicans were already struggling with a separate proposal to include $1 billion for security and related work tied to Trump’s planned White House ballroom. (apnews.com) Reuters, cited by U.S. News, reported that Senator John Kennedy said on May 20 that the proposal would not be included because “the votes aren’t there.” The Senate parliamentarian had also ruled that the ballroom funding could not be included under the fast-track budget process Republicans were using. CNBC reported on May 18 that the parliamentarian blocked the provision, making it much harder to pass with a simple majority. ### Did the rest of the immigration money survive the dispute? The broader package still contained money for immigration enforcement even as the Trump-linked provisions drew opposition. (usnews.com) AP reported that the bill would fund immigration enforcement agencies, and CNBC said the measure covered agencies within DHS despite the dispute over the settlement fund. (cnbc.com) Politico had reported earlier that Senate Republicans were considering dropping the ballroom-related funding while preserving the larger immigration package. That approach did not resolve the later fight over the settlement fund. ### Which Republicans broke with the White House? At least several Republican senators publicly expressed reservations about the ballroom provision before the vote was postponed. (apnews.com) Forbes, citing public comments, said Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Rand Paul had either opposed the funding or demanded more information. Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged earlier this week that there were “a couple snags” in the bill, including issues tied to the East Wing modernization project, according to Forbes. (politico.com) By Thursday, those snags had expanded into a broader dispute over the settlement fund and floor strategy. ### What happens when senators return? The Senate is expected to resume work on the package after the Memorial Day recess, but the June 1 deadline Trump set will now be missed. (forbes.com) AP said Republican leaders were expected to abandon the ballroom-related security proposal after it failed to win enough party support, while CNBC reported that the broader DHS and immigration funding bill remained unresolved as lawmakers left town. John Thune, the White House and Senate Republicans will have to decide whether to revise the package again, strip out disputed provisions or bring the enforcement funding to the floor on a different path when lawmakers return to Washington. That next step will determine whether ICE, Border Patrol and other DHS components get the money Republicans had planned to approve before June 1. (cnbc.com) (apnews.com)