Senate moving forward with reconciliation bill, dropping ballroom funds

Washington — Senate Republicans are moving forward with a package to fund the Department of Homeland Security's immigration agencies on Wednesday, following a back-and-forth over the Justice Department's "anti-weaponization" fund that threatened to derail the long-sought funding.

A revised version of one part of the package released Wednesday also dropped language that would have provided $1 billion in security funding for the Secret Service, including for President Trump's East Wing renovation, where he plans to build a massive ballroom. That funding faced intense scrutiny from a handful of Republicans, prompting senators to abandon it.

Last month, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees unveiled the initial text of the $72 billion package, which funds immigration agencies through fiscal year 2029. The Senate began voting on a motion to proceed to the measure around 3 p.m. 

GOP senators have been seeking assurances from the administration about the fate of the controversial Justice Department fund, which was the subject of a heated meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche two weeks ago. Blanche testified before a House committee on Tuesday that "we are not moving forward with the fund."

The DOJ program, which aimed to provide taxpayer-funded payouts to individuals who alleged the federal government had been "weaponized" against them, sparked intense pushback on Capitol Hill. And some Republicans continued to express reservations Tuesday that the fund could be resurrected despite Blanche's assurances.

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune appeared confident after Blanche's testimony that Republicans have the support necessary to proceed to the legislation Wednesday. 

"We're hopeful," Thune told reporters at the Capitol, adding that he's "keeping fingers crossed."

Thune said that "most of our members feel pretty satisfied" with Blanche's comments, noting that they occurred during a public hearing under oath, despite Blanche's refusal to put anything in writing.

"His comments were extremely helpful," Thune said. "Whether they are enough for some of our members, we'll find out."

A handful of Senate Republicans have signaled that they remain skeptical, like Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas. Cornyn anticipated Tuesday that Blanche's comments may not be "good enough for some people." And the Texas Republican, who lost his primary last week after the president backed his opponent, shared a Wall Street Journal editorial on Wednesday morning that argued Republicans in Congress can kill the DOJ fund for good by barring money for its use. 

Tillis indicated to reporters that he will offer an amendment on the reconciliation bill to address the fund, arguing that additional action needs to be taken to assure the fund is defunct. 

"I think even DOJ knows that this was a bad idea and what we need to do is provide finality," Tillis said. "They've said that they've quiesced the program, then why can't we just take the step of statutorily eliminate the question, so that a future decision to reopen it is eliminated?"

The movement on reconciliation comes after months of Democrats opposing funding for the immigration enforcement agencies. Republicans have been moving ahead with their plan on their own through the budget reconciliation process, which sidesteps the 60-vote threshold required to advance most legislation. 

Seiji Yamashita contributed to this report.