Senate works overnight as Republicans debate limits on Trump settlement

Key Points:

• The Senate is close to passing a $70 billion bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, with Republicans overcoming efforts by Democrats and some GOP members to block a $1.776 billion settlement fund linked to former President Trump.
• Republicans defeated an amendment by Sen. Bill Cassidy that would have redirected the settlement fund payments to law enforcement injured during the January 6 Capitol attack, after multiple attempts to ban or limit the fund.
• The settlement fund, part of a lawsuit resolution over leaked tax returns, has caused division among Senate Republicans, despite Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stating the fund would not proceed; Trump has expressed uncertainty about its status.
• Democrats have delayed the funding bill due to demands for policy changes on immigration enforcement, including better identification for federal officers and more judicial warrants, following fatal shootings by federal agents in January.
• The bill would fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years and aims to bypass the filibuster using a procedural maneuver, but its passage was complicated by internal GOP disputes and Trump administration proposals that faced bipartisan backlash.