Senate Kicks Off Vote-a-Rama on DHS Funding Package

On Wednesday, June 3, the Senate voted to begin debate on a narrow budget reconciliation package by a vote of 53-46, triggering the statutorily required 20 hours of debate. The bill provides $72 billion in funding through fiscal year (FY) 2035 for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Originally scheduled for consideration in late May, the bill was pulled following President Trump’s announcement of a $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund. The fund was announced by the Department of Justice as part of a settlement agreement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, and is  intended “to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.” It would be empowered to issue “formal apologies and monetary relief.” The fund drew bipartisan criticism, contributing to the delay of the reconciliation package as lawmakers adjourned for the Memorial Day recess and missed Trump’s self-imposed June 1 deadline to enact the legislation. A federal judge last week ordered the fund suspended to allow litigation to proceed, and on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch stated that the program will not move forward. However, President Trump continues to publicly support the fund.

Throughout May, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee marked up their respective portions of the bill, followed by a review from the Senate parliamentarian. One of the most contentious provisions—$1 billion in funding for the Secret Service, which was widely expected to be used for President Trump’s ballroom—was ultimately removed for failing to comply with reconciliation rules.

This reconciliation package stems from stalled negotiations over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY 2026 and fulfills the two-track strategy agreed to by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) to fund DHS through both the appropriations process and budget reconciliation. Under this approach, House Republicans passed the Senate’s bipartisan appropriations bill to fund DHS, excluding ICE and CBP, while leveraging the budget reconciliation process to fund those two agencies without Democratic support.

Once the 20 hours for debate expire, the Senate will proceed to the amendment portion of the budget resolution process, commonly known as a “vote-a-rama.” During this phase, the rules allow senators to propose modifications to the resolution until their list, or their will to continue, is exhausted. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) indicated that Democrats plan to offer a range of amendments addressing cost-of-living concerns, immigration, the war in Iran, President Trump’s ballroom and the Anti-Weaponization Fund, among other issues. Once amendment votes are completed, which is expected to occur sometime late Thursday or early Friday, the Senate will pass the bill. It will then be sent to the House for consideration. The House additionally advanced H.Res.1336 out of the Rules Committee yesterday and is expected to pass it today, enabling the chamber to consider and potentially pass the reconciliation bill the same day it is received from the Senate—likely setting the stage for a Friday vote.

Please click here, or below, to access Brownstein’s vote-a-rama tracker, which contains a running list of filed amendments and will be updated in real time as amendments are considered on the floor.

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