Republican senators are set to discuss the future of a controversial $1.8 billion settlement fund on Tuesday after the US Justice Department said it would follow a court order temporarily blocking the programme.
Several Republican lawmakers, who had already voiced concerns about the fund before Congress recessed two weeks ago, say they want clearer answers from the Trump administration. The fund was created as part of a settlement linked to President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax returns.
Critics within Trump’s own party worry that some of the money could be used to compensate individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. At the same time, Trump is reportedly reconsidering whether the fund should move ahead at all, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The dispute has also delayed a Senate bill that would provide three years of funding for immigration enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol. Republicans postponed action on the bill after Democrats threatened amendments aimed at eliminating or reducing the settlement fund.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday that it remains unclear whether the immigration funding package will advance this week.
The controversy began after Trump announced the settlement fund without prior consultation with lawmakers. The announcement came while Congress was already debating immigration funding legislation that included an additional $1 billion for White House security projects.
The move angered many Senate Republicans, who later removed the White House security funding from the bill and warned they would not support the legislation unless significant changes were made to the settlement plan.
Thune said he believes the administration should consider shutting down the fund on its own and indicated senators would decide their next steps after a Republican conference meeting on Tuesday.
Republican lawmakers said they need a stronger commitment from the administration before supporting any related legislation.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said the president must clearly state that the fund will not be used in a way that could be politically motivated.
Senators Jim Lankford and Lisa Murkowski also said they want an explicit assurance that the programme will be fully withdrawn.
Meanwhile, John Kennedy warned that the immigration bill is unlikely to move forward without a resolution to the dispute.
The Justice Department said it would comply with a ruling by US District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who last week temporarily suspended the fund for two weeks and scheduled a hearing on June 12 to consider extending the pause.
Although the department said it strongly disagrees with the decision, senators from both sides of the debate insist they need more details about what the administration plans to do once the court order expires.
The issue has become one of the most contentious disputes among Senate Republicans in recent months. According to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a recent closed-door meeting with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was among the most heated he has witnessed during his time in the Senate.
Republican lawmakers have discussed several options, including restricting who could receive payments, changing oversight of the fund, introducing judicial review of claims, or scrapping the programme entirely.
The debate comes amid broader political tensions within the Republican Party as Trump continues to challenge GOP lawmakers he considers insufficiently loyal, creating additional uncertainty over support for his legislative agenda in the narrowly divided Senate.