Senate moves $70 B immigration funding bill forward

The Senate advanced a multibillion-dollar spending bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies on Wednesday, clearing a procedural hurdle after the White House abandoned a controversial compensation fund that had stalled the legislation. The 53-46 vote, largely along party lines, sets the stage for a marathon amendment process with the goal of sending the final bill to the House by the end of the week.

The legislation allocates approximately $70 billion to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Republican leaders turned to the budget reconciliation process to advance the funding after a record-breaking government shutdown earlier this year left these agencies without a long-term appropriation. The bill’s progress had been delayed for weeks due to bipartisan opposition to a separate $1.8 billion Justice Department fund, announced as part of a settlement resolving former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday that the administration would not move forward with the compensation fund, which critics feared could benefit political allies. That...