Senate Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution early on Thursday morning in their latest effort to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security and bypass the Democratic filibuster to help fund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol.
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Senators voted 50-48 to adopt the budget resolution at around 3:30 a.m., with GOP Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joining all Democrats in voting against the measure.
The budget reconciliation process allows Republicans to pass the measure through a simple majority and circumvent the Democratic filibuster, but it is more complex and allows Democrats to force a series of amendment votes.
The budget framework will need to be approved by both the House and the Senate Parliamentarian to proceed, but if the GOP succeeds, it will grant $70 billion to ICE and Border Patrol to keep them funded for the next three years.
In a series of quick votes as part of the so-called vote-a-rama, Democrats unsuccessfully pushed amendments to lower health care costs, restore SNAP benefits, and other measures to tackle rising costs.
The Senate also rejected an effort by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to add a portion of the SAVE America Act—the Trump-backed proof of citizenship voting bill—but this was also rejected with Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Murkowski, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voting against it.
After the measure was passed, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, wrote on X, “The vast majority of Republicans stuck together to do something Democrats are refusing to do: Fully fund the Border Patrol and ICE for three and a half years through the Trump presidency…Democrats’ refusal to fund ICE and Border Patrol at a time of growing threats to our nation is one of the most irresponsible decisions I’ve witnessed since I’ve been in the Senate.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the senior most Democat on the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement saying: “During an all-night vote-a-rama, Democrats offered amendment after amendment to correct the course of this bill and meet the needs of working families. From amendments that would bring down the cost of groceries, gas, and utility bills to banning hedge funds from buying up single-family homes—every single time—Republicans voted to block them.”
Last month, the Senate unanimously approved legislation to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, excluding funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Democrats have refused to vote in favor of funding for the two agencies that have overseen President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The party has demanded that any funding for these agencies should come with reforms and guardrails after two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal agents in Minnesota. However, Republicans in the House rejected the legislation passed last month because it didn’t include funding for immigration enforcement.
Senate Adopts G.O.P. Budget, Defeating Democrats’ Affordability Proposals (New York Times)
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