Senate GOP immigration bill stalls over ballroom funds, $1.8 billion Trump settlement

WASHINGTON (BDN) — Senate Republicans are unlikely to pass their roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement bill this week. Disputes over White House security money and a $1.8 billion settlement fund for Trump allies have stalled the effort.

Republicans were already expected to drop $1 billion in security funding for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom after backlash from their own members. New questions about the settlement fund added to the holdup. Senators want to know who would receive the money.

GOP senators met with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday to decide whether to set limits on the settlement, which was designed to compensate Trump allies who say they were politically persecuted. They left tight-lipped and signaled no vote before the Memorial Day break. That timing risks missing Trump’s June 1 deadline.

The settlement fund is part of a deal resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. Democrats said they will force votes to block or restrict it, using the amendment process required under reconciliation. Some Republicans share the concerns and are weighing their own limits on who could be paid.

Trump unloaded on the Senate on Wednesday. He urged Republicans to fire the parliamentarian, who ruled parts of the security proposal cannot stay in the bill, and renewed his calls to end the filibuster. The rift deepened after Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in next week’s primary runoff, a move some senators fear could cost them their majority.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., questioned the ballroom priorities. People “can’t afford groceries and gasoline and healthcare, and we’re going to do a billion dollars for a ballroom?” he said.

Money for ICE and Border Patrol remains in the bill. Republicans are using reconciliation to fund the agencies through the end of Trump’s term with a simple majority, but passage still requires sign-off from the parliamentarian and full GOP unity. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will pass the bill “whatever form it takes.”