Republicans in the United States Senate have passed a resolution to defund US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the first step toward ending a months-long standoff sparked by protests against US President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
The vote on the resolution came after hours of debate Thursday morning, in which Republicans, who have a slim 53-47 majority in the House, used a strategy that allowed them to move forward with a simple majority rather than overcome the 60-vote threshold.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
In the end, 50 Republicans voted in favor, while two broke ranks and joined with Democrats in voting against the proposal.
Still, Thursday’s vote was far from a final decision on the matter. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives would have to pass its own resolution.
Then, Senate and House committees must craft the actual funding legislation, which will be subject to a second round of votes.
Trump has said he wants the funding bill on his desk by June 1.
How did we get here?
Condemnation of Trump’s hardline immigration campaign intensified in January, when two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretty, were shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Democrats, who have been increasingly criticized for inaction during Trump’s second term, derailed pending legislation to fund the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE.
Many said the department and ICE already received huge discretionary benefits in the Republican-backed tax bill passed last year.
This move was a risky one, effectively shutting down DHS and causing many negative impacts, including a reduction in Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing, which disrupted traffic at the airport.
Trump later signed an executive order to pay TSA employees, temporarily alleviating the problem, although officials have warned they may face funding problems.
Still, Democrats have largely bet that it is more politically toxic to be seen as supporting Trump’s immigration policies, which have become increasingly unpopular among the American public, than to be blamed for the shutdown, which has lasted 68 days.
How were Senate Republicans able to pass the resolution?
The Republican proposal effectively allows Senate committees to increase the federal government deficit by nearly $140 billion to fund ICE and Border Patrol. However, top Republican officials have said the final legislation is likely to fund both agencies for a total of $70 billion over three and a half years.
Normally in the Senate, the minority party can use the so-called “filibuster” to block legislation. A party needs 60 votes to overcome the filibuster.
After Democrats came out in opposition, Republicans are pursuing a complex process known as “budget reconciliation.”
Only a simple majority is required to pass funding through reconciliation, but it is typically a cumbersome, multi-step process that, in addition to other drawbacks, eats up time that could be used on other legislation.
Under Senate rules, debate on budget resolutions is limited to 50 hours, which lawmakers reached shortly before passing the measure Thursday morning.
What is ‘Vote-e-Ram’?
While the Republican strategy neutralized the Democrats’ ability to filibuster the resolution, the minority party adopted yet another strategy to delay the final vote and force Republicans to take positions on potentially politically complex issues.
After the 50-hour debate ended, Democrats held a so-called “vote-a-rama”, in which they introduced rapid, often symbolic amendments, which were immediately voted on.
Ahead of the early-morning maneuvers, Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said the party would use “Vote-a-Rama” to show Republicans are out of touch with citizens’ affordability concerns, a key issue ahead of the midterm elections in November.
“It will be a reconciliation of opposites, and we’re enjoying that fight,” Schumer said. “Republicans want to give billions of dollars to Donald Trump’s private army without any common sense restrictions or reforms. Democrats want to put money in people’s pockets by reducing their costs.”
Three Republicans broke with their party to support an amendment aimed at addressing health insurance company delays and high rates of claims denials, underscoring the prominence of the issue for those facing re-election campaigns.
The three Republicans also supported an amendment to cut prescription drug prices introduced by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator John Kennedy sought to lay the groundwork for including the Trump-backed Save America Act in the final funding legislation, which supporters say would increase election security and opponents say would disenfranchise millions of voters.
The effort failed, with four Republicans voting against it, including Kennedy’s amendment.
what comes next?
The proposal passed by Republicans in the Senate is essentially a set of instructions for committees to create final funding legislation. Republicans in the House may seek to change the parameters of those directives, requiring lawmakers from both chambers to mediate differences.
Once both sides approve the parameters, the real work of creating the final law will begin. This would ultimately be subject to another 50-hour debate process, which could then pave the way for another “Vote-a-Rama”.
Once both houses pass the final legislation, it will go to US President Donald Trump’s desk for signature. Republicans have said they hope to advance final legislation by next month.
