Senate Advances $72 Billion DHS Immigration Funding Package

The U.S. Senate moved on Wednesday to advance a $72 billion package to fund the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration agencies through fiscal year 2029, after Republicans revised the proposal and sought assurances about a controversial Justice Department fund.

The measure is being moved through the budget reconciliation process, which can bypass the Senate’s typical 60-vote threshold. Republicans said the changes cleared the way to proceed, though some lawmakers said they still want the Justice Department program eliminated in law.

The package was unveiled last month by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees and is aimed at funding immigration-related agencies through 2029. Senators began voting on a motion to proceed to the legislation around 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the report.

A revised version released Wednesday removed language that would have provided $1 billion in security funding for the Secret Service, including money tied to a planned White House East Wing renovation. That provision drew scrutiny from a handful of Republican senators, and lawmakers ultimately dropped it from the package.

Justice Department fund remains sticking point

Republicans have also pressed the administration for clarity on the Justice Department’s so-called “anti-weaponization” fund, which prompted a heated meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche two weeks earlier. Blanche told a House committee on Tuesday that the department was “not moving forward with the fund,” according to the report.

Some Republican senators said they were not satisfied with verbal assurances. Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas indicated they want the fund eliminated through statute to prevent it from being reinstated later, the report said.

Path forward under reconciliation

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that most Republican members felt satisfied with Blanche’s public testimony and that the support was there to move ahead. The reconciliation process allows the party to pursue the package without the 60 votes typically needed to advance most Senate legislation.

Further debate could focus on whether Republicans seek changes to permanently bar the Justice Department program, as the bill moves through the Senate.