Senate Republicans on Thursday narrowly defeated a Democratic attempt to block President Donald Trump from creating a £1.4bn fund to pay allies, amid growing dissent within the president’s own party. The amendment, proposed by Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer, would have barred payouts from the so-called 'anti-weaponisation' fund, which could be used to settle claims linked to the January 6 insurrection.
The vote, which lasted three hours, saw the amendment fail by 49-50. Three Republican senators—Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Jon Husted of Ohio—broke ranks to support the measure alongside 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.
Schumer argued that Congress must legislate to prevent the fund from ever being used, despite assurances from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that the administration would not proceed with it. 'Republicans are trusting the word of Todd Blanche, who built a career on lying,' Schumer said, noting that Trump had expressed his 'love' for the fund just a day earlier.
The dispute has complicated Republican efforts to pass a £55bn bill funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through 2029. The standoff over agency funding began in January, leading to a 75-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Following the vote, Republican senator Thom Tillis proposed an alternative amendment to redirect the fund’s money to fraud prevention efforts, but Democrats rejected it as 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.'
