ICE Funding Approved
Senate Approves $70 Billion ICE Funding After GOP Blocks Limits on Trump Settlement Fund
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The Senate passed a $70 billion bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol before 5 a.m. on June 5, in a 52-47 party-line vote News3LV. The money covers immigration enforcement for three years — through the end of Trump's term — making ICE effectively shutdown-proof for the rest of his presidency.
The final vote came after an 18-hour amendment marathon that exposed a sharp split inside the GOP PBS News. Republicans narrowly beat back efforts to restrict a separate $1.776 billion settlement fund that critics call a political slush fund for Trump's allies.
How a $1.776B Side Fund Almost Sank the Bill
The $70 billion bill stalled for weeks over an unrelated controversy. In May, the Trump administration created a $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" — a symbolic reference to 1776 — as part of a settlement in a lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns PBS News. Critics immediately called it a vehicle to pay political allies, including January 6 defendants, with taxpayer money.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tried to calm worried Republicans on June 2. He told Congress: "We're not moving forward with the fund, period" PBS News. One day later, Trump undercut him. The president told reporters he was "unsure" of the fund's fate but added, "I love it... I think it's so important."
GOP Defeats Amendments to Permanently Kill the Fund
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a Republican, called the fund "self-dealing" and a "slush fund." He proposed redirecting the $1.776 billion to police officers injured on January 6 instead WSET. Cassidy argued: "It's as if somebody sued themselves... and that's going to be funded by the rest of us." His amendment failed as Republicans closed ranks.
Democrats also tried to reshape the bill. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto proposed moving $31 billion of the ICE funding to local law enforcement. She said the bill gives a "blank check to ICE and Border Patrol without any meaningful reforms" CBS Austin. That amendment failed too. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican to vote against the final bill.
What the $70 Billion Will Actually Fund
The bill builds on $170 billion already approved for immigration enforcement in July 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act KOMO News. Combined, the two packages make ICE the most-funded law enforcement agency in U.S. history. The new $70 billion covers three years of ICE and Border Patrol operations, 10,000 new ICE officers over five years, and 701 miles of new border wall construction.
Legal experts warn the settlement fund is far from dead. A federal judge temporarily blocked its payouts on May 29 Fox San Antonio. Thirty-five former federal judges filed a lawsuit calling the settlement a "fraud on the court." Legal scholar Adam Zimmerman of USC called the deal "unprecedented," saying it exists in a "different solar system" from past government settlements.
Bill Heads to House as Settlement Fight Continues
The bill now moves to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson aims to pass it as early as next week ABC6. If signed, it locks in ICE funding through Trump's entire remaining term — no more shutdown threats from Democrats who had blocked traditional spending since February, when DHS funding for border agencies lapsed after months of stalled negotiations.
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut warned the GOP's refusal to permanently ban the fund was intentional. He argued Republicans are "paving the way for Trump to resuscitate his slush fund" once media attention fades Fox 17. The fund's legal fate hinges on ongoing court battles, but Congress has now signaled it will not step in to stop it.
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