Senate Republicans on Thursday narrowly defeated a Democratic attempt to block President Donald Trump from creating a £1.4bn fund to pay his allies, as divisions within the GOP over the proposal became apparent. The amendment, proposed by Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, failed by a 49-50 vote after a three-hour debate.
Three Republican senators—Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Jon Husted of Ohio—broke ranks to support the measure, joining all Democrats. All three are considered vulnerable in the upcoming midterm elections, with a recent Fox News poll showing Husted trailing his Democratic challenger by eight points.
The fund, described by the administration as an 'anti-weaponisation' mechanism, could issue financial settlements to individuals connected to the January 6 insurrection. Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche told lawmakers earlier this week that the administration would not proceed with the fund, but Schumer insisted Congress should legislate to block it permanently, citing Trump's past statements supporting the fund.
Schumer's amendment was attached to a £56bn bill funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through 2029. Republicans are using budget reconciliation to pass the bill without Democratic support, following a 75-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
After Schumer's amendment failed, Republican senator Thom Tillis proposed redirecting the fund's money to Justice Department fraud prevention efforts. Democrats rejected the proposal, with Senator Jeff Merkley calling it insufficient. Tillis's amendment garnered only 14 votes, including three Democrats, and also failed.
