Key facts
- US Senate approved $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
- Funding is primarily for migrant deportations.
- The bill passed the Senate with a 52-47 vote.
- No Democrats supported the bill; one Republican voted against it.
- The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives.
The U.S. Senate passed legislation to fund President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agencies, including migrant deportations, with a 52-47 vote. The bill, which received no support from Democrats and was opposed by one Republican, is seen as a victory for Trump's deportation crackdown plans over the next three years. Republicans criticized Democrats for opposing funding for ICE and Border Patrol, despite significant unspent funds from a prior Republican-led package. The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives, with consideration not expected before the following week. During the 'vote-a-rama' session, amendments were debated concerning a controversial $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund for Trump's allies and a proposed White House ballroom, neither of which passed. Senator Thom Tillis's amendment to reallocate funds from the Trump fund to fraud-enforcement operations failed. Senators Bill Cassidy and Cory Booker advocated against Trump's fund, citing constitutional concerns. The debates highlighted divisions between GOP senators and Mr. Trump on various issues. Senate Republicans advanced ICE and Border Patrol funding through the end of President Trump's second term, after beating back multiple amendments targeting his priorities during an 18-hour "vote-a-rama." The party-line vote had been deeply in doubt over the past weeks, as senators revolted against the "anti-weaponization fund" and spending requests for the president's White House renovations. The "vote-a-rama" allowed senators to offer unlimited amendments, forcing GOP leadership to repeatedly defeat amendments that targeted the two Trump provisions. In the vote's opening act, Senate Majority Leader John Thune relied on Sen. Bill Cassidy to help defeat a Democratic proposal targeting the "anti-weaponization fund." Cassidy's vote allowed a pair of politically vulnerable Republicans to side with Democrats without jeopardizing the amendment's defeat. The vote failed, 49-50. Sen. Susan Collins, who is also vulnerable but was expected to vote with Democrats, joined others in voting for the amendment. On Trump's ballroom, seven GOP senators voted with Democrats to bar any funds for it, but the threshold for that vote was at 60, leading it to fail. The vote-a-rama comes as Senate Republicans grapple with deteriorating polling and a series of Trump decisions that have led some GOP senators to question his political judgment.