The News
President Donald Trump and Republican senators are dividing over politics, personal dynamics, and policy — drama that’s built up for weeks before culminating in a public flop on Thursday.
A party-line vote on $72 billion in immigration enforcement money that should have been easy for the GOP Congress got pulled from consideration as lawmakers left Washington until June. Trump and Republican lawmakers agreed on a June 1 deadline for passing the immigration bill that they will now miss.
The most urgent reason for the delay is boiling anger among Senate Republicans at the president’s $1.8 billion fund of taxpayer money for people who allege they’ve been targeted by the government. That includes, potentially, rioters who participated in the 2021 Capitol attack.
But the bill is slowing down for other reasons, none of them related to immigration: Trump is unsuccessfully pushing for security funding for his White House ballroom renovation, and his goodwill with GOP senators is at a second-term low as he seeks to defeat his second Republican incumbent in as many weeks. Republicans had little appetite for giving Trump what he wanted this week, according to senators and aides.
Broadly speaking, Trump’s sway over the Senate GOP is lower than it’s been at any point in his second term, those Republican sources said — even as his influence in party primaries peaks.
The White House had indicated to Senate Republicans this week that Trump could veto any party-line immigration bill that didn’t contain his unrelated priorities, including the East Wing money and unrestricted use of his “anti-weaponization” fund, according to four people familiar with the matter. A White House official denied to Semafor that such a message was sent.
That bold talk of vetoing a top priority came after Trump helped oust Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in his primary before endorsing scandal-plagued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who’s beloved among his GOP colleagues. The president also attacked the nonpartisan Senate parliamentarian for ruling that the East Wing security funding could be filibustered, a broadside that many senators viewed as a low blow.
Despite Republican senators’ disinterest in taking tough symbolic votes on Trump’s ballroom and what Democrats have dubbed a “slush fund,” the White House appears confident it can get its way in the end.
“No one should be doubting the political will that [Trump] has, the amount of support that he has — he’s shown that he can wield it in many different ways,” a second White House official told Semafor. “No one should be doubting how he’s able to bend everything to his will.”
Still, it did not go well when Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche briefed Senate Republicans on the $1.8 billion fund on Thursday morning.
Republicans “were upset going into the meeting and probably were no less upset coming out of the committee, because there was no remedy. There was some frustration,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Politically speaking, he added, the fund is “unexplainable. That’s the problem.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., upbraided Blanche over the fund in the meeting, and Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Blanche firmly that the administration needs to consult more closely with Congress ahead of decisions, according to people familiar with the meeting.
“So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong; take your pick,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement.
The meeting was described as an “absolute sh*tshow” by two people briefed on it.
Many Republicans substantively opposed the fund, which was created as part of an unprecedented settlement of a Trump lawsuit against the IRS.
But the timing of its creation directly messed up the immigration bill: Because the Judiciary Committee was writing some of the legislation, Democrats could offer countless amendments barring the fund from paying criminals — and many Republicans would have backed them.
A DOJ spokesperson told Semafor that “there was a healthy discussion” between Blanche and senators on the fund, and that he “made clear” that it “has nothing to do with” the bill.
Know More
Congress has a lot left to do before November’s election: the immigration enforcement bill, extension of government surveillance powers, a surface transportation bill, housing legislation, a cryptocurrency bill, and funding the government past Sept. 30.
Trump’s move to end the political careers of two GOP senators does not help him achieve any of those goals. He also took time out this week to ding Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., who subsequently said he would try to “kill” Trump’s fund.
“We have a very small majority everywhere. You got guys that are loyal to their state, obviously still want to represent the state,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., a member of party leadership. “Knowing all of them, none of them are punitive enough that they’re not going to do something to poke him in the eye. But they also represent their state.”
Trump has viewed his primary wins against Cassidy and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., as a sign of his continued influence within the GOP. But some of those endorsements are also angering Republican lawmakers who worry he may be more focused on score-settling and legacy-building than what’s best for the party. Cornyn in particular is viewed as a far stronger candidate than Paxton, which could cost Republicans ground in the battle for Senate control.
For many inside the White House, it’s not a code red just yet. Though Republicans planned to drop the East Wing funding from their bill, the second White House official described the ballroom security funding as “a process.”
But Trump is in a precarious moment, with multiple agenda items stalled, a growing number of frustrated lawmakers, and low approval numbers as the election nears. Even he suggested on Thursday that he’s not sure whether he’s losing control of Senate Republicans.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” Trump said. “I only do what’s right.”
Asked what happens if Congress won’t agree to the ballroom security money, the president gave an uncharacteristically short answer, telling reporters it would mean that “the White House won’t be a very secure place.”
The White House referred Semafor to Trump’s remarks when asked for comment for this piece.
Room for Disagreement
Trump also made waves by nominating two controversial GOP figures as ambassadors: Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano, who both lost key races in swing states. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, has raised concerns about both, but Trump might not face as much backlash over those picks.
The second White House official said the administration feels “very positive, very optimistic about her.” Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said he’d “probably” support Lake’s ambassadorship to Jamaica, and Sen. Pete Ricketts, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Lake was nominated to “strengthen the partnership between our nations. I am hopeful she will be successful in this effort if confirmed.”
“It’s important for ambassadors to have the trust of the president. And she does,” Young told Semafor.
Burgess and Shelby’s View
Senate Republicans clearly need a breather after this week, and they may be able to reassemble the immigration bill. They may even find a way to get back in sync with Trump, who has a unique ability to get his way even when it seems impossible.
On the other hand, Trump is getting deep into his second term with low approval ratings and more focus on foreign policy than on domestic issues. Republicans may be realizing that they need a path to success — at legislating and campaigning — in a post-Trump party.
It could be a rough 2026 as they figure that out.
Notable
- Amid the drama, the Trump administration is seeking to bypass Congress to build his 250-foot triumphal arch, The Washington Post reported.