The US Senate early Friday passed a bill that would provide an additional $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement, delivering a legislative victory to President Donald Trump and advancing one of his key policy priorities. The measure was approved in a 52-47 vote, with no Democratic support and one Republican voting against it. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for final consideration.
The funding would support the Trump administration's immigration enforcement and deportation operations over the next three years. It would add to roughly $100 billion in unspent DHS law enforcement funding that Republicans approved last year. Most of the new money would go to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, which are leading the administration's deportation efforts across the United States.
Republicans said the legislation was needed to strengthen immigration enforcement. Democrats argued that ICE and Border Patrol already had substantial unspent funding and accused Republicans of using the bill to expand Trump's deportation agenda.
Debate over the measure extended through Thursday and into Friday during a lengthy Senate amendment session known as a "vote-a-rama." Much of the discussion focused on issues unrelated to immigration, including efforts to block federal funding and private donations for a proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom on White House grounds.
Lawmakers also debated amendments aimed at preventing federal funds from being used for an "anti-weaponization" compensation fund. Critics have described the proposal as a mechanism that could allow Trump's political allies to receive taxpayer-funded compensation for claims that they were unfairly targeted by the government.
None of the proposed amendments were adopted.
A motion by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to eliminate the compensation fund exposed divisions among Republicans. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan joined Democrats in supporting the effort, but the proposal failed in a 50-49 vote.
"Republicans refused to permanently outlaw Trump’s $2 billion slush fund, leaving taxpayers to rely on nothing more than a promise from Donald Trump’s personal fixer," Schumer said in a statement after the vote. "That is not accountability. That is a permission slip."
The compensation fund has already been placed on hold by the White House and the Justice Department. However, Trump expressed support for the proposal this week.
"I love it. I think it's so important," Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he wanted Congress to formally end the fund through legislation rather than rely on administration assurances. He argued that leaving the issue unresolved could create political difficulties for Republican lawmakers seeking re-election in November.
Tillis later introduced an amendment to redirect the fund's resources to fraud enforcement operations. The proposal failed in an 84-15 vote, although it received support from 12 Republicans.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy also sought to eliminate the fund. Cassidy and Democratic Senator Cory Booker submitted a friend-of-the-court brief supporting a federal court order that blocked the program last week.
They argued the fund "presents an immediate and dire threat to our constitutional order and the authority of Congress".
The debate highlighted broader tensions within the Republican Party over several Trump initiatives, including his request for $1 billion in taxpayer funding for a White House ballroom and security upgrades, his nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general, and his appointment of political ally Bill Pulte as US intelligence chief.
Despite those disagreements, the Senate approved the immigration funding package, giving Trump a significant policy win while underscoring continuing divisions among Republicans over some elements of his agenda.
