Senate Republicans postpone ICE funding bill vote over concerns about 'Anti Weaponization Fund'

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) settlement package for President Donald Trump is causing a stir among GOP members. On Thursday, Senate Republicans postponed a reconciliation vote, which would have seen funding approved for ICE and Border Patrol. However, questions regarding Trump's $1.7 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' reportedly stunted proceedings. Senate Majority Leader John Thune had wanted to get the reconciliation bill through the Senate before the Memorial Day holiday.

However, as per an NBC report, after a closed-door meeting with top Justice Department officials, Republican Senators were left with more doubts than answers. Thune said that administration officials needed to "help with this issue, because we have a lot of members who are concerned, obviously, about the timing, but also about the substance." When asked if the anti-weaponization fund was one of the reasons behind the postponement, Thune said that it was a "big issue."

The $1.776 billion fund would be used to compensate people who believe that they were unlawfully targeted under previous administrations. Democrats have been staunchly against it, and the only way it could be passed in the Senate was if it were included in the reconciliation package, which could be passed with a simple majority. As things stood, it could reportedly be challenging to get all GOP votes as well.

"I think the administration is putting itself in a bad spot," Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is not on good terms with President Trump, said after the meeting with DOJ officials. Cassidy has never been a supporter of the DOJ's compensation package for Trump, which also includes immunity for the President, his family, and his businesses from being audited or investigated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Trump had filed a lawsuit against the IRS for $10 billion over the leaking of his tax details.

Taking to X, Cassidy said that at a time when Americans were struggling with affordability, putting together a compensation fund worth well over a billion dollars was not a major concern. "This is adding to our national debt. If there needs to be a settlement, the administration should bring it to Congress to decide," he wrote. Cassidy was not the only Republican Senator against it.

Sen. Katie Britt also expressed concern over the package and said that there would be no reconciliation vote on the day, as per a report by The Hill. She added that people who assaulted police officers are storming the Capitol on January 6, 2020, should not be entitled to any compensation. Both the DOJ and the administration have maintained that any American, including Democrats and independents, could apply for compensation. However, only people with a legitimate cause would be compensated.