Senate Republicans stall $70bn bill

Senate Republicans left Washington on Thursday without voting on a roughly $70 billion immigration-enforcement package after a week of internal fights over provisions tied to President Donald Trump. The immediate dispute centered on whether the bill should try to block a new $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement fund linked to Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. A separate fight over $1 billion in security funding for the White House complex and Trump’s planned ballroom had already weakened support inside the conference. By Friday, Trump was in New York promoting his tax law, while Senate leaders headed into the Memorial Day recess without the vote they had planned. ### Why did a border-security bill get tangled up with Trump’s IRS case? The $1.776 billion fund became a problem because some Senate Republicans wanted the immigration bill to stop money from flowing to Trump allies who say they were politically targeted. The fund is part of a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over disclosure of his tax returns, according to the AP report carried by PBS. Republicans failed to settle the issue after a tense meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the broader bill was pulled before a final vote. (pbs.org) Todd Blanche’s role underscored how the dispute had moved beyond ordinary spending details. The question for senators was not whether to fund immigration enforcement agencies in general, but whether to use that must-pass package to intervene in a settlement backed by Trump. Senate Republicans did not resolve that question before leaving town. (pbs.org) ### What happened to the $1 billion White House and ballroom security request? Senate Republican leaders were expected on Thursday to abandon a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and Trump’s ballroom after pushback from their own members. Lawmakers questioned the timing of the request, the lack of detail from the Secret Service and the use of taxpayer money for a project tied to Trump’s planned East Wing expansion. (pbs.org) The security proposal had already run into procedural trouble earlier in the week. The Senate parliamentarian ruled that the provision, as drafted, could not be included in the party’s budget bill, forcing Republicans to look for another route before resistance inside the conference grew. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans would try a new approach, but by Thursday the provision appeared headed out of the package. (pbs.org) ### Who inside the GOP was resisting? John Thune and other Senate Republican leaders were trying to move the package on a party-line basis, but they ran into objections from members uneasy with Trump-specific add-ons. Public resistance to the ballroom funding came from at least four Republican senators, according to Politico, enough to threaten the provision given expected Democratic opposition. (cnbc.com) The broader immigration bill itself had advanced through the budget process in April, giving Republicans a path to pass it with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes usually needed in the Senate. But the disputes in May showed that the harder problem was holding together Republican votes once Trump-linked provisions were attached. ### Why was Trump in New York while this was unfolding in Washington? (politico.com) Trump traveled to the Hudson Valley on Friday to promote the tax law he signed last year, especially the expansion of the deduction for state and local taxes in a high-tax state like New York. The White House has been looking for chances to emphasize Trump’s economic record as his approval ratings on the economy have weakened, according to the ABC and AP reports. (politico.com) Mike Lawler, the Republican congressman hosting Trump, is seeking reelection in one of the most competitive House districts in the country. The White House event at Rockland Community College in Suffern put Trump in a district where the tax law’s SALT provision is politically useful, even as Senate Republicans were struggling to advance one of his other domestic priorities. (abcnews.com) ### What happens when senators return? The Memorial Day recess is now the next marker in the fight. Senate Republican leaders are expected to revisit the immigration-enforcement package after lawmakers return to Washington and decide whether the $1.776 billion settlement issue, the White House security request, or both can be removed or rewritten to win enough Republican support. (pbs.org) (halifax.citynews.ca)