Inside the $70 Billion Senate Immigration Bill: What Passed, What Failed, and What Got Stripped

A visual breakdown of the Senate’s $70 billion immigration bill, highlighting the provisions that passed, the proposals that failed, and the measures removed during negotiations. (AI images produced by Tell Us USA News Network)

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	Inside the $70 Billion Senate Immigration Bill: What Passed, What Failed, What Got Stripped Ashley Roberts - Capitol Hill Tell Us USA News Network WASHINGTON -- Following a marathon, 18-hour voting session that stretched overnight, the U.S. Senate early this morning passed a major 70 billion dollar immigration enforcement package. The vote capped off weeks of internal gridlock, a dramatic vote-a-rama on dozens of amendments, and high-profile intra-party fracturing over independent funds tied to the White House. The centerpiece of the session was a massive budget reconciliation package designed to fully fund federal immigration enforcement agencies. The bill ultimately advanced along narrow party lines, with 53 votes in favor and 47 against. Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski cast the lone GOP vote against it. The package funnels roughly 70 billion dollars into Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The funding is structured to extend through the remainder of the current presidential term. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, where Republican leadership indicated a vote could occur as early as next week. The legislation had previously been derailed by fierce controversy surrounding a proposed 1.8 billion dollar anti-weaponization payout fund. The fund originated from an out-of-court settlement resolving a 10 billion dollar lawsuit brought by President Trump against the IRS over the 2019 leak of his tax records. The pool of money drew severe bipartisan backlash over concerns that the administration could distribute taxpayer dollars to political allies, including individuals convicted in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced an amendment to legally bar the creation of the fund. Despite three swing-state Republicans -- Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio, and Dan Sullivan of Alaska -- breaking ranks to vote with Democrats, the amendment failed after a tense, three-hour floor huddle led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Senator Thom Tillis immediately introduced a separate amendment to redirect that 1.8 billion dollars toward Justice Department fraud prevention instead. While 11 Republicans backed it, Democrats rejected the reallocation, causing the amendment to fail 49 to 50. Though the legislative bans failed, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified earlier in the week that the administration would drop plans for the fund. However, ongoing mixed signaling from the White House left senators on both sides seeking legal permanence. Lawmakers successfully eliminated a heavily criticized provision that would have allocated 1 billion dollars in security funding for the White House, which included money allocated for construction on a new East Wing ballroom. Both Democrats and rank-and-file Republicans questioned the optics of using taxpayer money for a massive luxury project during a time of economic hardship for voters. Leadership ultimately agreed to drop the ballroom funds from the final package to preserve the unity needed to pass the broader immigration bill. During the grueling amendment process, several notable measures were brought forward but fell short of the 60-vote threshold required to waive the Budget Act. An amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders to cap contributions to SuperPACs failed on a party-line 45 to 53 vote. An amendment introduced by Senator Mark Warner that would prohibit an individual from serving as the Director of National Intelligence while simultaneously heading another federal department failed in a dead-even 49 to 49 tie. A motion to waive the budget rules for an amendment relating to the SAVE Act of 2026, brought by Senator Lindsey Graham, failed 48 to 50. Amidst the high-stakes political maneuvering, the chamber paused briefly Thursday evening to pay bipartisan tribute to Senator Susan Collins, who successfully cast her 10,000th consecutive vote in the U.S. Senate. Collins has not missed a single roll-call vote since entering office in 1997.