The Justice Department may have shaken loose Republicans’ $70 billion immigration enforcement bill with a statement this afternoon that it would abide by a court ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion fund for people allegedly victimized by the government.
Senate Democrats are still planning to clobber the immigration bill with amendments related to the “anti-weaponization” fund, which could have benefited Capitol riot participants — but Republicans who were set to join them may not need to if the administration backs off altogether.
The DOJ’s social media post doesn’t equate to permanent cancellation of the fund. Republicans are talking to the administration about how to advance the immigration bill after it stalled out over intraparty opposition to the fund.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that the easiest path would be for the administration “to shut it down themselves.”
Shelby Talcott contributed to this report.