Senate passes – The Senate passed a $70 billion immigration enforcement funding bill early Friday, clearing the way for three years of support for ICE and Border Patrol after months of delays and an all-consuming fight over an unrelated $1.776 billion settlement fund tied to
Just before 5 a.m. on Friday, the Senate finished a vote that had been hanging in the air for months—passing a $70 billion bill to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol funded through the end of President Donald Trump’s term.
The legislation cleared the chamber 52-47, after Democrats had blocked the funding for months. Republicans still had to fend off multiple attempts by members of both parties to attach language to the bill that would permanently ban Trump’s settlement fund—an effort that failed despite the pressure that had built over the unrelated $1.776 billion settlement fund.
The fight didn’t just delay the immigration enforcement package. It nearly threatened to derail it entirely, as lawmakers and allies argued over whether the settlement fund represented political persecution. The bill now heads to the House, where it is expected to be taken up next week.
The timing underscored how much the settlement dispute had come to shape the immigration debate itself. The final vote landed after weeks of delays and fierce backlash linked to the $1.776 billion settlement fund. forcing the chamber to decide whether it could move forward on enforcement funding while leaving that controversy unresolved.
Outside the policy battle, Trump also signaled political and personnel limits for a separate, high-profile national security role. Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday. Trump said federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte—his pick for acting director of national intelligence—would not be his “permanent” choice.
Trump’s decision came after bipartisan pushback on Capitol Hill in recent days over Pulte’s lack of national security experience. Trump said, “He’s not going to be permanent because, you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” adding that he called Pulte a “very smart guy.”
Trump also said he may look at past elections that he claims, without credible evidence, were “rigged” against him.
For lawmakers, the through-line was straightforward: the Senate had to move the immigration bill forward, even as it refused to permanently shut down the settlement fund language that many said was the real test of political accountability.
If the House chooses to revisit the dispute, the question will be whether the immigration funding can survive another round of amendments—or whether the early-morning win in the Senate is only the first step in a longer, messier fight.
Senate $70 billion immigration bill ICE Border Patrol settlement fund Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence Donald Trump midterm elections
So they finally passed the immigration bill but it was all about some settlement thing? Cool.
Democrats blocked it for months over a settlement fund? That’s wild. Also ICE and Border Patrol getting 70B like nothing happened…
Wait I thought the $1.776 billion settlement was like part of the immigration enforcement? Like, why would that not be tied to the bill? Sounds like they just picked a random number to fight about.
This Bill Pulte thing is also a mess, like Trump said he won’t be permanent because he doesn’t want it?? And then Trump talks about rigged elections without evidence… but sure let’s trust the system to run ICE right. I’m confused how any of this is “accountability” when they keep fighting over unrelated language.