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June 1, 2026 / 9:21 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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Washington — Congress is returning from recess this week to resume work that went unfinished before lawmakers left town, when GOP leaders were forced to scrap plans to fund immigration agencies after a Republican revolt over the Trump administration's "anti-weaponization" fund.Senate Republicans were preparing to begin a marathon vote series to fund the Department of Homeland Security's immigration enforcement agencies last month through the budget reconciliation process. And although Senate Republicans appeared largely ready to pass the long-sought funds, the announcement of the controversial DOJ fund at the eleventh hour imperiled the path forward.The $1.776 billion fund aims to provide taxpayer-funded payouts to people who allege the legal system has been "weaponized" against them. Established as part of a settlement of a suit by President Trump against the IRS, the fund has divided Republicans, especially as some Trump allies and people charged for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol have expressed eagerness to submit claims.During a heated conference meeting, Senate Republicans expressed consternation over the fund to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who had been deployed to smooth over GOP concerns. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called it "one of the roughest meetings I've seen in my entire time in the Senate."Democrats had vowed to force votes on amendments targeting the fund during the Senate's marathon vote series on the $72 billion immigration enforcement package, complicating the path forward for Republicans. Leaving the GOP meeting, a number of Republicans indicated they had reservations, with lingering questions about how the fund will operate and who might receive payments from it, along with possible guardrails to prevent people who assaulted law enforcement from being compensated. Plans to move forward with the DHS funding, which the president wanted on his desk by June 1, were scrapped, and senators headed quickly for the exits.Now, as the Senate returns Monday, Republicans remain bedeviled by the fund and how to move forward. As they look to proceed with a "vote-a-rama" on the reconciliation package, the DOJ fund still remains to be addressed — whether by the administration or by the Senate.
