Senate moving forward with reconciliation bill, dropping White House ballroom funds
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Senate Republicans are advancing a $72 billion funding package for Homeland Security's immigration agencies through fiscal year 2029, after resolving disputes over the Justice Department's controversial "anti-weaponization" fund.
- The revised package dropped $1 billion in Secret Service security funding, including for President Trump's East Wing renovation, due to opposition from some Republicans.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified that the Justice Department is not moving forward with the contentious fund, easing some Republican concerns but not fully satisfying all skeptics.
- Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn remain wary of the fund's potential resurrection, with Tillis planning to propose an amendment to statutorily eliminate the fund to ensure finality.
- Republicans are pursuing this funding through the budget reconciliation process to bypass the 60-vote Senate threshold, amid ongoing Democratic opposition to immigration enforcement funding.