Schumer rips Senate Republicans for passing billions in ICE and Border Patrol funding in late-night vote
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Senate Republicans after most of them voted to pass a bill to greenlight billions of dollars in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The measure passed 52-47, mostly along party lines, though one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined Democrats in voting against passage.
"Tonight, Senate Republicans passed a rotten bill that makes their priorities painfully clear: more money for Donald Trump, more power for Donald Trump, and nothing to lower costs for working families. Republicans refused to permanently outlaw Trump’s $2 billion slush fund, leaving taxpayers to rely on nothing more than a promise from Donald Trump’s personal fixer. That is not accountability. That is a permission slip," Schumer said in a statement.
"They pumped another $70 billion into Trump’s personal police force, defended Trump’s corrupt ballroom, and protected his slush fund for cop-beaters— all while voting against Senate Democrats’ efforts to lower the cost of housing, health care, gas, and childcare," Schumer continued. "The Republican agenda is now written in black and white: a slush fund for Trump, tax dodges for Trump, a ballroom for Trump, and a private militia for Trump. For hard-working Americans? Nothing. Democrats are fighting to put money back in Americans’ pockets. Republicans are fighting to put more power, more money, and more weapons in Donald Trump’s hands."
The Justice Department said in a statement last month "that as a part of the settlement agreement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, the Attorney General established 'The Anti-Weaponization Fund' to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare."
The DOJ explained, "The Fund will receive $1.776 billion and will come from the judgment fund, which is a perpetual appropriation allowing DOJ to settle and pay cases."
DOZEN GOP REBELS FAIL TO PERMANENTLY KILL TRUMP'S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND
During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the DOJ will never move forward with the plan for the anti-weaponization fund, which he said had not been "set up yet," noting that no commissioners had been named and no claims had been made yet.
"After tonight’s vote, it’s clear to Americans that Republicans refused to outlaw Donald Trump’s $2 billion slush fund," Schumer said in another statement released by Senate Democrats. "Now the whole country can see the truth: Republicans fought like hell to protect Donald Trump and his slush fund but didn’t lift a finger to help working Americans lower their costs."
"Senate Republicans tried to bury their radical agenda in the dead of night, but Democrats forced them to answer for it — amendment after amendment, vote after vote. Republicans voted against building 7 million new affordable homes, against lowering gas prices, against cracking down on health insurance companies that deny Americans coverage, against making childcare more affordable, and so much more. Again and again, Republicans chose Trump instead. While families are struggling to get ahead, Senate Republicans just voted to help Trump bleed them dry," Schumer added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
The package would still need to clear the House of Representatives before heading to President Donald Trump.