Senate greenlights reconciliation package with $70 billion to fund ICE and CBP for rest of Trump's term despite division among Republicans

In the viacrucis that the approval of any federal administration initiative on Capitol Hill has become, Republican leaders managed to push through the reconciliation package which reopens funding for ICE and the Border Patrol for the remaining three years of Donald Trump’s term. To accomplish this, GOP lawmakers used the formula of a Regular Appropriations Bill, which allows dodging the dreaded filibuster in the Senate.

The initiative, which went forward with 52 votes in favor and 46 against (Republican Lisa Murkowski was the only one from her party not to support the measure), does not include any clause preventing the federal government from going ahead with the creation of a fund to compensate victims of Biden's lawfare.

Bill Cassidy: Unexpected savior of the reconciliation package

The bill came within a single vote of being derailed, after Chuck Schumer introduced a motion aimed at prohibiting the creation of the aforementioned fund. To give the matter even more excitement, everything was left in the hands of Bill Cassidy, who lost his primary to a candidate backed by the president and by the president's harsh criticism against his work in the Senate.

Finally, Cassidy said "no" to Schumer's initiative and introduced an amendment of his own in the same sense, which ultimately was not approved, as it did not get the 60 necessary votes. That said, six other Republican senators backed his initiative.

Mike Johnson expects to pass reconciliation package early in the week

After passage, the package moves to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson hopes to move it forward as soon as possible to send it to Trump's desk. The president had given a deadline of June 1 to have it on the table for signing.

The reconciliation package endows funding for the next three years to the embattled immigration agencies, having already approved funding for the rest of DHS in another bill after a record 76-day partial government shutdown.

Six senators vote to stop White House ballroom

Another sticking point in the package was funding for Trump's planned White House ballroom. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a motion to stop construction from moving forward without congressional support that was backed by six Republicans (Susan Collins, Jon Husted, Dan Sullivan, Lisa Murkowski, Jerry Moran and Thom Tillis) who voted with the Democrats.