Senate Pushes $70 Billion ICE Funding Without Democratic Help

The Senate is starting a long voting marathon, with Republicans moving forward on a plan to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection. They are doing this through budget reconciliation, a process that lets the majority pass bills with only 51 votes instead of the usual 60. The new budget resolution would let Senate committees add up to $70 billion for the agencies, giving them a stable funding stream for over three years. This would keep ICE and CBP operational through the rest of President Trump’s term, even though Democrats want reforms to how DHS handles immigration. To pass the resolution, senators will hold a “vote‑a‑rama, ” where amendments can be added endlessly. Democrats have already begun rolling out a flood of changes aimed at forcing Republicans to justify spending billions on immigration enforcement.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would present many amendments, hoping to record Republican support for large budgets while highlighting the need for affordability. He criticized Republicans as “willing to pay billions for a private army” without constraints, and warned that the Senate would learn the hard way if costs aren’t cut. Because Republicans control 53 seats, they can push through the funding bill even though most legislation needs a supermajority. The plan follows a deadlock over DHS funding that began after fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis. Democrats demanded reforms before agreeing to fund the department, and the House still has not approved the Senate’s budget reconciliation version. Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed hope that the House will act soon, noting that DHS officials fear funding could run out next month. Republican Senator John Kennedy briefly tried to alter the bill but later let the vote proceed, warning that there would be no further chances for a reconciliation bill. He urged the inclusion of affordability measures and a savings act to help voters with rising costs.