Trump 'slush fund' sinks Senate immigration bill

US Senate Republicans abandoned plans Thursday to advance major immigration enforcement legislation after furious internal disagreement over a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund for President Donald Trump's allies who claim they were unfairly targeted by federal agencies.

The collapse was a significant setback for Trump and party leaders, who had hoped to pass roughly $70 billion in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and other agencies before lawmakers began a week-long recess.

Instead, the debate exposed rare public resistance from Republicans normally inclined to fall in line behind the president, with senators balking at provisions they feared would be politically toxic in an election year dominated by affordability concerns.

The immediate flashpoint was Trump's proposed "anti-weaponization fund," which critics warned could send taxpayer money to Trump supporters convicted of violence against police officers during the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

"Senate Republicans couldn't even hold their own conference together long enough to bring this partisan bill to the floor before recess," Democratic senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a joint statement.

"After weeks of rushing ahead with backroom negotiations, Republicans are now openly fighting amongst themselves over a bill that would pour billions more into President Trump's extreme immigration agenda and green-light nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer money for a slush fund to reward Trump's political allies."

The decision meant senators were leaving Washington without passing the immigration package, blowing past Trump's June 1 deadline for approving a major pillar of his domestic agenda.

Acting attorney general Todd Blanche met privately with Republican senators just before the negotiations collapsed in an effort to calm concerns over the fund, but several lawmakers emerged unconvinced.

Republicans had also been divided over a separate proposal for up to $1 billion in Secret Service funding tied to security for Trump's planned White House ballroom.