Senate Republicans Demand Limits on Trump's $1.776 Billion Settlement Fund

A standoff between the White House and the Senate remains unresolved after Republican senators defiantly left town 10 days ago without passing legislation to fund President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agencies. Senate Republicans returning to Washington on Monday say they won't have the votes to pass the Homeland Security spending bill until the White House works with them to place parameters on a new $1.776 billion settlement fund designed to compensate Trump's allies.

But Trump has shown little interest in doing so, even after a judge temporarily halted any payouts.

The impasse over the "anti-weaponization" fund could be an inflection point as Republicans try to keep their majority in this year's elections and advance their agenda. Trump's campaign-year push to defeat GOP lawmakers he sees as disloyal has added to the tension.

Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas both lost reelection in May after Trump endorsed their primary opponents.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the settlement money — some of which could potentially go to Trump supporters who beat police and attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — "just makes everything way harder than it should be." Democrats have said they plan to offer several amendments to the immigration bill to scale back or eliminate the settlement.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will launch "a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door."

At a closed-door meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Republican senators gave an ultimatum: put some limits on the settlement or we will do it for you. GOP senators discussed several ways to curb the fund, including limiting who can receive payouts, changing the makeup of the commission in charge of settlement decisions, adding judicial review for applicants, or scrapping the fund altogether.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas described the meeting as "angry," saying at least half of the 45 attending senators were "blasting the attorney general." Cruz said Republican senators were "yelling" and told Blanche that the fund "feels like self-dealing" and "feels like Trump cut a deal with himself."

Cruz said there were many questions about Jan. 6 defendants and that Blanche reassured them that no one who committed violence or assaulted law enforcement would get a payout.

But Blanche has repeatedly declined to say that publicly, telling the AP that "there is no limit to who can apply." Trump has pardoned more than 1,500 defendants charged in the 2021 attack, including hundreds convicted for violently beating police.

The divide over the fund comes after Republicans already abandoned $1 billion in security funding for the White House, including for Trump's new ballroom. Left in the legislation is funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, which Democrats have blocked for months.

Republicans are using a budget maneuver called reconciliation to fund the agencies without Democratic support, but success requires GOP unity and Trump's signature.

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan called the settlement fund "probably one of the most corrupt things that we've ever seen an American president do." He added, "I hope they realize that what was done is simply unacceptable and that they'll stand firm."