WASHINGTON D.C. ~ On Friday morning, Senate Republicans managed to push through a funding bill that will provide a large sum of funding for federal immigration enforcement.
The bill, approved in a 52-47 vote, will provide $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for funding ICE and Border Patrol, after Democrats delayed voting on the funds for months amid intense scrutiny due to high-profile killings by ICE agents in January. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AL-R) was the only Republican to vote against the funding bill.
The GOP also defeated multiple efforts by Democrats to add language to the bill that would bar President Donald Trump’s recently proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” out of fears that it would benefit his political allies. Trump said earlier this week that he would drop the fund proposal.
The bill needs to be approved by the House before heading to Trump’s desk.
