June 05, 2026
US Senate Republicans grappled with the ultimate fate of President Donald Trump's sidelined $1.8 billion "anti-weaponisation" fund on Thursday, barely defeating a Democratic effort to permanently kill the fund and derail a $70 billion bill to pay for Trump's immigration crackdown.
Lawmakers began voting on amendments to the immigration bill in a "vote-a-rama" session that was expected to end in a vote on the underlying measure later in the day.
An initial motion by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to kill what Democrats call a "slush fund" for Trump's allies quickly brought the session to a largely procedural halt for hours after Republican Senator Susan Collins voted for the motion.
She was later joined by fellow Republicans Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan.
