President Donald Trump's nearly $70 billion immigration enforcement package has entered uncertain waters as the Senate embarks on a marathon of votes that could blow up the legislation. At the heart of the issue is the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) now-defunct nearly $2 billion "anti-weaponization" fund.It’s another rare instance where both sides of the aisle are frustrated with the administration, and it could spell doom for the broader bill. That’s because Democrats and Republicans are lining up amendments to ensure the fund is dead, to varying degrees. GOP ADVANCES ICE FUNDING PACKAGE AFTER FORCING TRUMP'S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND INTO RETREATPresident Donald Trump listens to members of his Cabinet during a meeting in the White House Cabinet Room in Washington, D.C., on May 27, 2026.
(Win McNamee/Getty Images)Senate Republican leadership is hopeful that they can prevent those amendments from surviving during the newly launched "vote-a-rama," but success isn’t guaranteed.One positive for the GOP is that every Republican voted for the package in its first procedural hurdle Wednesday afternoon."I feel good going into it," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.
"But, you know, you got a lot of conversations with our members [who] understand what's at stake, how critical it is that we defeat amendments that would be corrosive to the bill or undermine in any way its privilege."One issue is that should an amendment targeting the fund pass, it could remove the reconciliation package’s ability to advance with just a simple majority of votes.That would effectively give Democrats a win in killing the package outright. Whether the amendments will be considered under a simple majority or 60-vote threshold could change the landscape and will ultimately be up to the Senate rules referee to determine whether they comply with the Byrd rule, which undergirds the reconciliation process.GOP DEMANDS TRUMP KILL CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND BEFORE REVIVING ICE FUNDIN...