The Senate will not vote on billions in immigration enforcement money until after the Memorial Day recess, a dramatic shift in plans fueled by Republican discomfort over the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization” fund.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Republicans on Thursday that a vote on the $70 billion in enforcement money had been canceled, according to a source familiar with the matter.The tentative plan had been to start a marathon voting session later that day, but the conference punted after a meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that lasted more than two hours. In that meeting, senators pressed Blanche over how the $1.776 billion fund, rolled out Monday to compensate victims of “lawfare,” would be structured and who would be eligible for the settlements. In particular, Republicans expressed concern payouts could go to individuals convicted or accused of assaulting U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 6, 2021.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), one of the senators to object on those grounds, told reporters that Blanche “seemed” to say that would not be the case, but she wanted to see language to that effect and is part of a larger group of Republicans who feel the fund, controlled by a commission appointed by the president, needs more guardrails.
