Senate shelves $70bn immigration bill

Senate Republicans left Washington on Thursday without voting on a roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies after a fight over a new $1.776 billion settlement fund tied to President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The package had been intended to finance agencies inside the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Instead, Republicans broke over whether to move ahead while Democrats prepared votes targeting the new fund and other Trump priorities. The delay pushed the measure past Trump’s stated June 1 target for getting the bill to his desk. ### Why did a border-security bill get tied up by an IRS settlement fund? The immediate dispute centered on a Justice Department settlement announced this week in Trump’s lawsuit over the disclosure of his tax information. That settlement created a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate people who say they were politically targeted by the federal government, according to AP and CNBC reporting. Democrats labeled the fund a “slush fund,” and the issue quickly became a flashpoint in the Senate. Senate Democrats planned to force amendment votes on the fund during debate on the immigration package. CNBC reported that some Republican senators were also uneasy about taking up the larger bill while the settlement fund remained in place, leaving party leaders without a clear path forward before the Memorial Day recess. ### What was in the immigration package that got shelved? The legislation was described by multiple outlets as a roughly $70 billion to $72 billion reconciliation package for immigration enforcement. (usnews.com) AP and CBS said it would provide money for federal immigration agencies within Homeland Security, including ICE and Border Patrol. Reuters reporting carried by CBC said Republicans had hoped to advance Trump’s domestic agenda through reconciliation, which allows a lower Senate threshold than ordinary legislation. (cnbc.com) Thursday’s collapse was a setback for Senate Republican leaders and for the White House, which had wanted action before lawmakers left town. CNBC said Trump had set a June 1 deadline for the package to reach his desk, but both chambers are now leaving Washington for a one-week recess without passing it. ### What exactly does the Trump-IRS settlement do? The Justice Department expanded the settlement on May 19 to bar the IRS from pursuing claims against Trump, his family members and his companies tied to prior tax returns, according to Politico and CBS. (usnews.com) USA Today reported that the agreement protects Trump, his family and businesses from future IRS audits tied to those prior filings. CBC, citing experts, reported that the arrangement would be difficult to challenge in court. (cnbc.com) BBC reporting, reflected in other coverage surfaced Friday, said the settlement could block tax reviews of Trump, his family and their businesses, raising new questions about presidential tax oversight. Former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told PBS the move set a “dangerous precedent.” ### Why were some Republicans uneasy if the fund helps Trump allies? (politico.com) Republican frustration was aimed not only at Democrats’ attacks but also at the political burden of defending the fund while trying to pass a border bill. AP reported senators left Washington “frustrated with the White House” and deadlocked over whether to try to block the settlement money. USA Today reported a tense meeting with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche before Republicans abandoned plans for a vote. (cbc.ca) The split showed up in process as much as rhetoric. CBS reported that the Senate had been prepared to consider a revised version of the package, with the House expected to act Friday, but the pushback over the fund halted that plan. PBS and AP both reported that lawmakers departed without taking up the bill. ### What happens when lawmakers return? The next test comes after the Memorial Day recess, when Senate Republicans will have to decide whether to revive the immigration package, strip out politically difficult flashpoints, or force votes on Democratic amendments. (usnews.com) CNBC reported that Democrats had prepared amendments on the settlement fund and on Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, another issue complicating the legislation. (cbsnews.com) June 1 was the White House’s target date for the bill to reach Trump’s desk, but that deadline now appears out of reach. When Congress returns, the named participants will be Senate Republican leaders, Senate Democrats and the White House, with the settlement fund still unresolved. (cnbc.com)