Senate kicks off marathon votes to fund ICE/CBP without Democrats

The Senate started a marathon vote-a-rama as Republicans push to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection through DHS via budget reconciliation, bypassing Democratic opposition. The plan would fund the agencies for more than three years and total about $70 billion, with committees authorized to draft related legislation. Democrats vow to flood the floor with amendments to press for affordability measures and reforms, highlighting a clash over how to fund immigration enforcement. The move follows a DHS funding stalemate that led to a shutdown threat, and the House has yet to act on the Senate-approved DHS funding. Senate Leader Thune expressed optimism about House action, while Sen. Kennedy briefly pushed changes but allowed the vote-a-rama to proceed.