Senate Begins 19-Hour Vote-a-Rama on $70B ICE/CBP Funding Package; Democrats Fail to Restrict Anti-Weaponization Fund or Add Oversight Provisions

On June 4, 2026, the U.S. Senate began an approximately 19-hour vote-a-rama on the $70 billion immigration enforcement reconciliation funding package for ICE and CBP — weeks after President Trump's June 1 signing deadline was missed due to Byrd Rule disputes over two provisions. The vote-a-rama — a process unique to budget reconciliation in which senators can force unlimited amendment votes without the 60-vote filibuster threshold — began in the afternoon and stretched into the early hours of June 5. Democratic senators attempted to attach amendments that would: restrict or cap the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization settlement fund (which compensates Trump political allies for alleged government persecution); establish minimum medical care standards for ICE detainees given the record-pace FY2026 custody death toll; add meaningful independent oversight provisions; limit detention of U.S. citizens; and cap the total detention bed count below 100,000. All Democratic amendments failed on party-line or near-party-line votes. The Washington Post reported that a brief intra-Republican 'revolt' over the anti-weaponization fund had required last-minute negotiations before the final vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced she would vote against final passage — the only publicly identified Republican holdout. The package, if enacted, will fund ICE and CBP operations through the remainder of Trump's second term — approximately three additional years — insulating both agencies from future government shutdown threats.