Congress Trump
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., joined from left by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., speaks to reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
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Senate Republicans are weighing their next steps after the Trump administration's announcement that it is scrapping a $1.8 billion settlement fund for the president's allies who claim to have been politically prosecuted. That announcement Tuesday could help Republicans move forward on President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. GOP senators had revolted against the fund and pressured the Trump administration to change course. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in testimony Tuesday that the fund was being dropped altogether. But Democrats are still promising to force votes on the fund once the Senate takes up immigration enforcement legislation, leaving the path ahead uncertain.
The Republican-led Senate is moving forward with legislation to fund immigration enforcement agencies after forcing the White House to drop its settlement fund for political allies and stripping a separate proposal for White House security from the bill. The Senate voted 53-46 on Wednesday to begin debate on the roughly $70 billion bill to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. The legislation was delayed for weeks as Republican senators navigated the various obstacles to passage created by President Donald Trump and the White House, but they are now moving quickly to pass it after paring it back to its original form.
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