WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Democratic senators plan to force a vote this week on President Donald Trump鈥檚 new to compensate political allies, testing Republican unity as Trump lashes out at lawmakers in his own party.
Republicans are expected to vote on a roughly to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol after Democrats blocked the money for months.
But the straightforward legislation became more complicated after Republicans added $1 billion in security money for the White House campus and Trump鈥檚 鈥� and as some GOP senators have grown increasingly frustrated with the president. Republicans have criticized the settlement fund, and many were upset by Trump’s in the party primary runoff next week against Sen. John Cornyn.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a hell of a bad week for Donald Trump and his Republicans,鈥� Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said on the Senate floor. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 only Wednesday.鈥�
Democrats have an opening to force a vote on the settlement fund because Republicans are trying to pass the immigration enforcement bill through a complicated budget process that requires a long series of amendment votes. Democrats are considering multiple amendments on the settlement fund, potentially to block it outright or to ban any payments to Trump supporters who in the .
Those amendments, along with others, potentially could pass as a growing number of Republicans speak out against the fund and other parts of Trump鈥檚 agenda.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday he was 鈥渘ot a big fan鈥� of the new fund, which the administration announced as a part of a settlement that resolves the president鈥檚 over the leak of his tax returns. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who to a Trump-endorsed candidate, called it a 鈥渟lush fund鈥� and said 鈥測ou can鈥檛 just make up things.鈥�
Hanging over the growing GOP rift is Trump鈥檚 surprise endorsement of Paxton, an intervention that has Republican senators privately fuming that it could cost them their majority in November as they view the incumbent as the better candidate in the November general election.
鈥淭here鈥檚 always a consequence with taking on United States senators,鈥� Thune said Wednesday. Trump “obviously has his favorites and people he wants to endorse and that鈥檚 his prerogative. But what we have to deal with up here is moving the agenda, and obviously that can become slightly more complicated.鈥�
Trump calls for Senate parliamentarian to be fired
As Republicans challenged parts of his agenda, Trump unloaded on the Senate in a social media post.
He urged Republicans to fire the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who has said that . Trump also renewed his long-standing calls for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, a Republican bill that would require all voters to prove U.S. citizenship, and to end the Senate filibuster.
鈥淩epublicans play a very soft game compared to the Dumocrats,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚t is their single biggest disadvantage in politics.鈥�
Trump added that Democrats will eliminate the filibuster 鈥渙n the First Day鈥� if they ever get full power in Washington again and that Republicans need to 鈥済et smart and tough鈥� or 鈥測ou鈥檒l all be looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible!鈥�
Republicans have been loyal to Trump on most issues, but they have resisted his repeated calls 鈥� even in his first term 鈥� to kill the filibuster, which triggers a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.
Republicans divided on settlement fund
While some Republicans have said they are supportive of the administration鈥檚 settlement fund, several have questioned it. Senators on it at a hearing Tuesday, where he described the fund as 鈥渦nusual鈥� but not unprecedented.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that he thinks it is a 鈥渞eal risk鈥� that some of the rioters charged 鈥� and later pardoned by Trump 鈥� in the Jan. 6 attack could get compensation through the fund. He said that would be 鈥渁bsurd.鈥�
On Wednesday, two police officers who helped defend the Capitol in the 2021 assault to block the payouts. Blanche, a personal attorney for Trump before joining the Department of Justice in Trump’s second term, would not rule out the possibility that on Jan. 6 would be eligible for compensation.
White House security money in limbo
Republican leaders are still revising the $1 billion security provision after the parliamentarian said it was too complex for the budget bill. The money could be scaled back or dropped from the bill.
Thune acknowledged 鈥渙ngoing vote issues,鈥� as leaders try to measure Republican support, and 鈥渙ngoing parliamentarian issues,鈥� as they try to figure out what will be allowed in the bill under Senate rules.
Democrats and some Republicans have questioned whether Congress should approve money for the White House ballroom when voters are concerned about affordability issues. Under the , about $220 million would pay for security improvements related to the ballroom and the rest would go for a new screening center for visitors, training and other security measures.
Tillis said the bill should not have included the other security improvements 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 just giving everybody the 鈥榖illion dollar ballroom,鈥� and it鈥檚 just a bad idea.鈥�
He said he does not think there is enough support among Republicans for the full $1 billion in funding or even the $220 million request.
鈥淚 still want private donations to pay for it, they need to explain to me why we need this,鈥� Tillis said, noting that Trump had originally said that the project would be fully paid for with private money.
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