Senate Republicans pass bill authorizing $70bn for immigration enforcement in vote-a-rama – US politics live

Key events Senate Republicans pass bill authorizing $70bn for immigration enforcement in vote-a-rama Senate Republicans early Friday passed a bill that would provide the Department of Homeland Security with nearly $70 billion in new funds for immigration enforcement. The vote came after a more than 18-hour “vote-a-rama”, a process by which senators offer amendments to bills passed using the reconciliation procedure. The Senate’s Democratic minority leader, Chuck Schumer , had said earlier this week that he would use vote-a-rama to force Republicans into publicly defending the policies of Donald Trump , a move that ultimately forced Senate Republicans to drop their attempt to spend $1bn on security improvements for Trump’s White House ballroom. Among the amendments voted on in this marathon session was an attempt introduced by Schumer to kill the “anti-weaponization fund” and stop Trump from creating a $1.8bn fund to pay his allies . The measure was narrowly defeated in a 49-50 vote after three Republican senators broke with their party to join all Democrats in support. “Tonight, Senate Republicans passed a rotten bill that makes their priorities painfully clear: more money for Donald Trump, more power for Donald Trump, and nothing to lower costs for working families,” Schumer said in a statement posted on X after the immigration reforcement funding bill passed. …