Senate Majority Leader John Thune said most Republican senators “feel pretty satisfied” with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s comments renouncing the Justice Department’s planned “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and that he’s “hopeful” that will allow the Senate to start voting on the GOP’s stalled immigration enforcement bill Wednesday.
Thune, however, did not explicitly say that he has secured the votes to defeat amendments related to the fund, which critics fear could be used to reward political allies of President Donald Trump. Two GOP aides, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations about the bill, cautioned that multiple Republican senators are still likely to support proposals to curtail or eliminate the fund.
“The goal is to get the base bill across the finish line, and so hopefully all of our members who have amendment ideas will … keep in mind the need that we’ve got to keep the bill together and make sure we’ve got 50 votes for it at the end,” Thune said.
