United States Republican senators on Thursday abandoned plans to vote on a bill to fund the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in an act of revolt against one of President Donald Trump’s priorities: a $1.8 billion fund for victims of the government’s ‘instrumentalization’, including those convicted of crimes during the riot at the Capitol in January 6, 2021.
As a result, the Senate abandoned a vote on a $72 billion bill that would fund Trump’s mass immigrant deportation program, postponing the vote until June.
From the beginning, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the legislation had to be well targeted to secure the $72 billion with a simple majority vote. But the $1.8 billion fund for ‘instrumentalization’ and the $1 billion resource for the construction of a ballroom at the White House have become the main points of contention.
“It was something that was supposed to be very specific, targeted, focused, clear and direct, but it got a little more complicated this week,” Thune said, expressing his frustration. “That makes everything a lot harder than it needs to be.”
