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 emerged. The amendment, proposed by Democratic 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. These senators are considered vulnerable in the upcoming midterm elections. Husted, for instance, trails his Democratic challenger by eight points in a recent poll.
The proposed fund, described as an “anti-weaponisation” fund, would have issued financial settlements to individuals linked to the January 6 insurrection. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers the administration would not proceed with the fund, but Schumer insisted on a legislative ban, citing Trump's past statements supporting it.
Schumer's amendment was attached to a £55bn bill funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through 2029. The bill, which Republicans aim to pass via budget reconciliation, has been stalled since January due to a standoff over funding that led to a 75-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
After Schumer's amendment failed, Republican Senator Thom Tillis proposed redirecting the fund's money to combat fraud, but Democrats rejected this, calling it insufficient. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon said, “Taking one slush fund and eliminating it and creating a new slush fund still under the control of the attorney general is not the way to go.” Tillis's amendment also failed.
