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.”
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