WASHINGTON – In a flurry of rapid-fire late-night votes, most Senate Republicans spurned a group of measures Democrats said would lower everyday costs for Americans, while separately moving to approve billions of dollars for immigration enforcement.
What Democrats Proposed
Just past 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 23, Democrats tried unsuccessfully to attach a series of amendments to a federal budget blueprint. Their legislation, they said, would have ultimately brought down rates for gas, groceries, health care, and school meals by creating reserve funds, blocking future price-hiking bills, and reversing food-stamp cuts.
GOP lawmakers accused their counterparts of orchestrating political stunts and said they were prolonging the record-long shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
The so-called “vote-a-rama” was one of the most significant, though futile, pieces of political leverage at Democrats’ disposal in a bitter, monthslong fight over immigration enforcement since the killings of two Minnesotans by federal officers in January. Though the measures failed to move forward, they represented some politically tough votes for members of the opposing party, especially during a consequential midterm election year that could swing control of Congress to Democrats in November.
Two Republicans Break Ranks
Notably, two Republicans facing reelection in purple states — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Dan Sullivan of Alaska — threw their support behind some efforts to curb out-of-pocket medical expenses and grocery prices.
“Democrats are standing up for the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on the Senate floor.
DHS Shutdown and Immigration Funding
At the same time, the GOP successfully cleared a key hurdle toward fully funding DHS again — while also directing more money to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, both top priorities for Republicans.
“Why are we here? Our Democratic colleagues have refused to provide funding for the Border Patrol and ICE at a time of great threat to our country,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, the chairman of the Budget Committee, said. “We tried to have some reforms, but you refused.”
It remains unclear exactly when Congress could move toward completely ending the DHS shutdown, which has dragged on for more than two months. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said this week on “Fox and Friends” that President Donald Trump’s directives to reroute money to pay DHS employees, including airport security workers, would run out of funds by the start of May.
“I’ve got one payroll left and there (are) no more emergency funds, so the president can’t do another executive order because there’s no more money there,” he said.
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social
