For months, President Donald Trump has urged Congress to fund his administration’s immigration enforcement agencies which have lacked regular appropriations since mid-February, but in recent weeks, a new priority has captured the president’s attention, one that risks jeopardizing his goal of financially supporting his immigration crackdown.
Trump’s latest focus has been his so-called “anti-weaponization fund,” a taxpayer-funded $1.8 billion fund dedicated to awarding payouts to those who’ve claimed to be unfairly targeted by the Biden administration’s Justice Department, including violent and criminally convicted Jan. 6 Capitol rioters.
“Now Trump and Republicans have a real problem on their hands, with two of the president’s priorities – immigration enforcement and rewarding his political allies – in conflict with each other, forcing GOP lawmakers along for the ride,” Punchbowl News reported Monday.
“The Republican reconciliation bill to fund [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] (ICE) and Border Patrol through the rest of Trump’s term is in real peril amid strident opposition to the administration’s $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ fund.”
Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion fund has proven wildly unpopular even among GOP lawmakers, triggering a revolt of sorts within the Republican Party. The fund is even less popular with voters, with recent internal GOP polling sparking alarm among party insiders.
“This could really f--- us,” said a “well-connected national GOP consultant,” speaking with Zeteo last week under the condition of anonymity, referring to the internal GOP polling on how voters felt about Trump’s fund.
“The anti-weaponization fund is screwing up Trump’s ICE-and-CBP bill,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “As of now, Senate GOP leaders are struggling to see a clear path to 50 votes to kick off the floor process for the $70-plus billion reconciliation bill.”