The Senate promised a reconciliation package that will fund the Department of Homeland Security for years, without any of the nonsensical reforms Democrats want. The Senate GOP hesitated and thought they could craft a deal with Democrats. It was a poor choice, as the Democrats’ base will not allow any deal funding ICE to go through, so there’s no reason for them to rush anything. Meanwhile, DHS has been shut down since Presidents’ Day weekend, and the emergency funds used to pay all staffers from last year’s tax cut bill are running out.
At 3:30 am, the Senate passed the reconciliation package, but it did not include provisions of the Save America Act. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) voted to reject it (via NYT):
🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: The US Senate has ADVANCED Republicans’ budget reconciliation resolution for ICE and CBP at 3:30AM, 50-48
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 23, 2026
Tens of BILLIONS of dollars will fully fund the agencies for Trump’s entire term soon 🔥
LFG! Get it across the finish line!
With the resolution passed,… pic.twitter.com/5j6vjhggTr
LOTS OF NEWS from @SpeakerJohnson this morning
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 23, 2026
-- BUDGET RESOLUTION: Johnson intends to bring it up next week. "As quickly as possible."
"It has to be clean because it's gotta be quick. That's the challenge. So we're going to socialize that with everybody. We're going to move…
The Senate early Thursday morning adopted a Republican budget blueprint that would pave the way for a $70 billion increase for immigration enforcement and the eventual reopening of the Department of Homeland Security.
Republicans pushed through the plan on a nearly party-line vote of 50 to 48. It came after an overnight marathon of rapid-fire votes, known as a vote-a-rama, in which the G.O.P. beat back a series of Democratic proposals aimed at addressing the high cost of health care, housing, food and energy. The debate put the two parties’ dueling messages on vivid display six months before the midterm elections.
Republicans, who are using the budget plan to lay the groundwork to eventually push through a filibuster-proof bill providing a multiyear funding stream for President Trump’s immigration crackdown, used the all-night session to highlight their hard-line stance on border security, seeking to portray Democrats as unwilling to safeguard the country.
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Look, we got a bill to end the DHS circus the Democrats created. The House will move on it next week, as they’re dealing with issues centering on FISA reauthorization.
48-50: Senate voted against Louisiana GOP Senator John Kennedy's effort to include elements of the SAVE America Act, the GOP voter ID and citizenship requirements legislation, as part of the filibuster-proof reconciliation bill. Republican Senators Collins, McConnell, Murkowski,… pic.twitter.com/i1b85s4dth
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) April 23, 2026
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