Senate shelves $70B vote

Senate Republicans left Washington on May 21 without holding a planned vote on a roughly $70 billion immigration-enforcement package after a fight inside the party over Trump-linked provisions blocked the bill’s path. The dispute centered on a newly announced $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and on settlement language that would bar IRS audits of President Donald Trump, his family and their businesses. (cnbc.com) Senate Majority Leader John Thune had been trying to move the package before the Memorial Day recess, but Republicans broke for the week without a vote. (politico.com) Trump had wanted the legislation on his desk by June 1, CNBC reported. ### Which provisions derailed the vote? (cnbc.com) The Justice Department this week announced details of a settlement tied to Trump’s lawsuit over leaked tax-return information, and the package quickly became entangled with Senate Republicans’ immigration bill. The settlement included a $1.776 billion compensation fund for people claiming they were victims of federal “weaponization,” according to AP and other reports. A May 19 addendum also said the IRS would no longer pursue claims against Trump, his family members and related companies over unpaid taxes, according to Politico. ABC News and other outlets reported that the arrangement would bar audits of Trump, his relatives and his businesses as part of the settlement. (cnbc.com) ### Why did Republicans object if they support the broader bill? John Thune said he was “not a big fan” of the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” Politico reported, reflecting unease that extended beyond Democrats. AP reported that skepticism also came from senior Republicans as leaders tried to assemble enough support to move the larger package. (apnews.com) Bill Cassidy, a Republican senator from Louisiana, also criticized the fund, according to The Hill. CNBC reported that Democrats were preparing amendment votes designed to force Republicans to defend the fund and other Trump priorities on the Senate floor. (politico.com) ### Was the White House ballroom fight part of the same collapse? Republican senators were also wrestling with a separate $1 billion proposal for security upgrades at the White House complex and Trump’s planned ballroom. AP reported that Senate Republican leaders were expected to abandon that request after members of their own party questioned the cost, timing and lack of detail. (politico.com) Politico reported on May 20 that Republicans would remove the ballroom-related security money from the immigration measure after internal objections. That retreat did not resolve the larger standoff over the settlement fund and audit protections, which remained a central obstacle to moving the bill before recess. (thehill.com) ### What was in the broader package Republicans were trying to pass? The Senate bill was designed to fund immigration-enforcement agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, including operations tied to border security and enforcement, according to CNBC and AP. Republicans were using the budget reconciliation process, which allows certain fiscal legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes usually needed to overcome a filibuster. (apnews.com) A separate procedural setback had already hit the package days earlier, when a proposal to include $1 billion for White House security additions tied to Trump’s ballroom failed to satisfy Senate reconciliation rules, according to Spectrum News. (politico.com) Republicans said they were revising the legislation after that ruling. ### What happens when senators return? The Senate adjourned until early June without taking up the immigration-enforcement measure, AP and other reports said. Trump’s June 1 target for getting the bill to his desk will now be missed, and any next step will depend on whether Thune and other Republican leaders rewrite the package or strip out the provisions that triggered the backlash. (cnbc.com) (spectrumlocalnews.com)