The Two Republicans Who Broke Ranks as GOP Clears Path for ICE Funding

The Senate voted to adopt a budget resolution aimed at clearing the path to fund immigration agencies and end the two-month shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The measure advanced with a 50-48 vote early Thursday, with Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining all Democrats in opposition. Sen. Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, raised issue with the numbers and suggested cuts elsewhere to fully pay for the $70 billion in additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol. Sen. Murkowski, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has previously criticized the Trump Administration’s handling of immigration enforcement. The legislation will now move to the House, and if adopted, would allow congressional committees to draft separate legislation for Trump to sign into law, funding the agencies for three years.