Senate Republicans were evaluating Tuesday whether the Trump administration’s scrapping of a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund eased their concerns enough to move forward with votes this week on separate legislation funding immigration enforcement. Democrats were relishing the chance to put Republican senators on the record about the settlement fund for those who claim to have been politically prosecuted by the Biden administration. Dems, who dubbed the money a “slush fund” benefiting Trump allies, including those prosecuted for breaching the Capitol in 2021, have been promising scores of votes on the issue when the immigration bill is considered.
“Democrats won’t settle for half measures,” said Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer of New York. “We’re going to kill the slush fund permanently and we are going to bury it and bury it deep.” GOP senators also vented against the settlement fund before leaving for a Memorial Day recess two weeks ago. They returned to Washington this week saying they wanted more information from the administration about the future of the fund, which could potentially go to Trump supporters who beat police and attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
