A bid to restore funding to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol has been derailed by rows over a $1bn proposal for security measures tied to Donald Trump’s White House ballroom and controversial plans to create a $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund.
The US Senate will not pass the $70bn legislation ahead of a 1 June deadline set by the US president, Republican senators told reporters on Thursday, as lawmakers leave Washington for the Memorial Day recess.
It comes amid backlash from members of Trump’s own party against an attempt to latch funding for his ballroom project on to the immigration bill.
The plan prompted intense anxiety among congressional Republicans, who feared diverting taxpayer dollars toward Trump’s “East Wing modernization project” amid mounting cost-of-living concerns across the US would risk alienating voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Some Senate Republicans have also expressed concerns about a plan, announced on Monday, to create a secretive $1.776bn fund – which critics have argued is essentially a slush fund – to compensate Trump allies as part of an agreement in which the president and his sons dropped a $10bn long-shot lawsuit against the IRS.
US Senate refuses to push through ICE funding amid row over Trump’s ballroom
Trump continues to claim the ballroom funding proposal under consideration is for “national security”, including the drone port and bulletproof glass.
“If they want to spend money securing the White House, I think it would be very much a good expenditure,” the US president told reporters. Asked what would happen if Congress didn’t sign off on the funds, Trump replied: “Well, the White House won’t be a very secure place.”
RFK Jr fires leaders of group that sets guidelines for preventive healthcare
The Trump administration has fired the two leaders of an influential health group that determines when insurance must provide free preventive care, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, for millions of Americans.
In letters dated 11 May, the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, notified the two doctors who chaired the US preventive services taskforce that he was terminating their appointments immediately, before the end of their multiyear terms.
Trump’s EPA to roll back refrigerant rule for grocery stores in push it claims will lower prices
The Trump administration is set to loosen a federal rule that requires grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment, in what officials say is a push to lower grocery costs.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, said the Biden-era rule imposes costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants US businesses and families can use.
Trump is supporting Spencer Pratt in the LA mayor’s race. It may be a poison pill
Donald Trump’s endorsement is typically a boon for candidates seeking elected office; in fact, a show of support or disapproval from the president has proved significant in races across the US this year.
But Trump’s recent comments on the Los Angeles mayor’s race, just weeks before the primary, are sure to benefit Democrats. The president spoke favorably of Spencer Pratt, a former Republican and reality TV star who is polling second in the contest to lead the US’s second-largest city.
Trump health officials issue advisory on children and teens’ excessive screen time
Health officials in the Trump administration have issued an advisory about children and adolescents’ excessive screen time, warning that negative impacts on sleep and mental functioning have “become a public health concern”.
US announces charges against 15 people in Minnesota over alleged $90m healthcare scheme
The Trump administration broke new ground in its offensive against alleged fraud in Minnesota’s social services on Thursday as the US Department of Justice announced charges against 15 people accused of cheating a government healthcare program to the tune of $90m.
What else happened today:
Catching up? Here’s what happened on Wednesday, 20 May.