Senate Republicans face a critical decision Thursday regarding President Donald Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund during an extended voting session on a $70 billion immigration enforcement bill.
Amendment voting on the legislation is scheduled to start just before noon. Democratic lawmakers plan to force a vote aimed at eliminating what they describe as a “slush fund” benefiting Trump’s political allies, attempting to put Republicans in a difficult position given the president’s recent track record of ending political careers of lawmakers who oppose him.
“The first Democratic amendment of vote-a-rama will force every senator to answer a basic question: should taxpayer dollars fund Trump’s slush fund, or should it be eliminated once and for all?” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s office said in a statement.
The controversial fund, which opponents argue would enable Trump to use public money to benefit his political associates, has already been suspended by the White House and Justice Department following strong resistance from Senate Republicans.
Democratic leadership hopes their legislative strategy will damage Republicans in November’s midterm elections, where Democrats are expected to gain House control and potentially win the Senate as well.
However, it remains uncertain whether Republicans will support the Democratic amendment, which needs only 51 votes to pass but would also torpedo the three-year funding package for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy, who recently lost his reelection campaign to a Trump-endorsed opponent, are also planning to introduce their own amendments targeting the fund.
“I don’t want to join with some Democratic initiative, I want this to be led by Republicans for Republicans,” Tillis told reporters. “We’ve got a sufficient number of Republicans who have been very clear that they’ve got concerns here.”
Cassidy has additionally proposed an amendment that would cancel an agreement blocking the Internal Revenue Service from examining Trump’s tax returns.
Several recent Trump actions, including his request for $1 billion in taxpayer money for White House ballroom and security improvements and his appointment of political ally Bill Pulte as U.S. intelligence chief, have drawn public criticism from some Republican lawmakers.
Democrats are preparing additional amendments that would compel Republicans to vote on various issues including IRS tax protections, the Iran war, Trump’s trade tariffs, and immigration enforcement actions, including the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens earlier this year.
