Senate Republicans want a clear-cut answer on whether the Trump administration's now-stalled, nearly $2 billion "anti-weaponization" fund is dead before moving forward with a multibillion-dollar immigration enforcement package. The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday announced that while the administration "disagrees strongly" with a Virginia federal court’s order against the fund, it would adhere to the decision.But many Republicans contend that it’s not enough to satisfy their concerns."I appreciate them saying that, but they don't have a choice," Sen.
John Kennedy, R-La., said."They have to abide by federal district court law.
It doesn't tell me whether they’re planning on appeal.It doesn't tell me whether the administration's backing off the idea — it doesn't tell me anything, except they're gonna follow the law."TRUMP ADMIN BACKS OFF CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND, CLEARING PATH FOR GOP TO RESTART AGENDASenate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republican senators held a news conference at the U.S.
Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2026, discussing their latest offer to Democrats to reopen the Department of Homeland Security.(Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)And in the middle of the intra-party battle is President Donald Trump's roughly $70 billion funding package for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol."If your question is, is the weaponization fund impacting our ability to pass the reconciliation bill? The answer is yes," Kennedy continued.
"But right now, the reconciliation bill, and the process surrounding it, looks like a broken arm with a bone sticking out."Senate Republicans abruptly halted budget reconciliation, the party-line process they’re using to ram through the funding package, after an explosive meeting with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about the fund last month. GOP'S PRIMED FOR PRIMARY SEASON PAYBACK ON TRUMP'S MOST AMBITIOUS, CONTROVERSIAL POLICYRepublicans’ general sentimen...