Republicans Defeat Attempt to Block President's $1.8 Billion Payout Fund [View all]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/04/us/trump-news

Republicans on Thursday defeated an initial effort by Democrats to bar President Trump from establishing a fund that could compensate his political allies, although more attempts to add such a measure to the party’s immigration crackdown bill were expected later in the day that could draw their support.

The first vote was on a motion by Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, to send the bill back to committee and add a prohibition on the creation of the fund. It failed 50 to 49, with three Republicans facing re-election — Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska — joining Democrats in support.

Though the Justice Department has said it will no longer pursue Mr. Trump’s plan to establish a $1.8 billion fund pay people who he claims have been victimized by the government, the amendment was a bid by Democrats to force Republicans to cast a politically painful vote on the matter.

“America has never seen a more clear-cut case of corruption than Donald Trump’s slush fund,” Mr. Schumer said as he introduced his motion.

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