Senate Majority Leader John Thune navigated a bruising 13-hour budget marathon Thursday to salvage $8.5 billion in ICE funding after a last-minute clash with the Trump administration threatened to derail the entire immigration enforcement package.
The South Dakota Republican spent most of Thursday’s “vote-a-rama” — the Senate’s grueling amendment free-for-all — managing a rebellion led by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who wanted to block a Justice Department fund announced weeks earlier that Republicans viewed as a political weapon against conservatives. Cassidy shuttled repeatedly between the Senate floor and the parliamentarian’s office, hunting for procedural tools to kill the fund without torpedoing ICE’s budget increase.
By hour 13, Thune’s patience was wearing thin. The White House had signaled it would oppose any bill that didn’t include the Justice fund, putting Thune in an impossible spot: satisfy Trump’s demand or deliver the border security money his conference had promised voters.
The breakthrough came when Thune’s staff found parliamentary language allowing the ICE funding to advance separately from the Justice provision. The maneuver let Republicans claim victory on border enforcement while parking the Trump administration’s request in a different vehicle — one that wouldn’t tank immigration funding if it failed.
The $8.5 billion for ICE represents the largest single-year increase for the agency since its creation. The money will fund 10,000 additional detention beds, expand deportation flights, and hire 1,500 new enforcement officers — priorities Republicans campaigned on in 2024 when border crossings hit record highs.
But the episode exposed lingering tensions between Senate Republicans and a Trump White House that often prioritizes political combat over legislative wins. Several GOP senators privately fumed that the Justice fund demand nearly cost them their signature border achievement, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
Thune’s workaround passed 52-48 just after midnight, with three Democrats joining Republicans to approve the ICE expansion. The Justice Department provision remains in limbo, likely headed for a separate vote that faces uncertain prospects.
The vote-a-rama capped a week of Republican infighting over budget priorities, with defense hawks battling tax cutters and border hardliners clashing with deficit hawks. Thune managed to hold his razor-thin majority together, but not without visible strain. The ICE funding now heads to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled swift passage.
Key Points
- Senate approved largest single-year ICE funding increase in agency history after 13-hour marathon vote
- Thune sidestepped Trump administration demand that threatened to sink entire border security package
- Money will fund 10,000 detention beds, 1,500 new officers, and expanded deportation operations
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/4597401/how-thune-overcame-trump-roadblock-fund-ice/ – June 05, 2026
