Republican senators revolt over Trump’s $1.776 billion fund — The Hill
Republican senators revolted on the hill on May 21, 2026, after a nearly two-hour meeting with acting attorney general Todd Blanche over Trump’s $1.776 billion slush fund and the immunity deal tied to it. The backlash forced Senate leaders to shelve action on $72 billion in immigration agency funding the same day.
Todd Blanche Meeting
Andrew Desiderio reported that the session was “incredibly hostile,” with Republicans saying they had no advance warning about the plan, questioning the legal basis for the fund and rejecting Blanche’s explanation of how the payments would work. One Republican senator summed up the mood in a text to Desiderio: “Our majority is melting down before our eyes.”
Mitch McConnell went further, saying, “So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong—Take your pick.” As many as 25 Republican senators spoke out against the fund and offered ideas for putting limits around it.
Trump Tax Immunity
The dispute also centered on the tax immunity Blanche is extending to Trump. Dan Alexander reported that the arrangement could save Trump more than $600 million, while the source material ties that figure to his 2025 crypto and licensing income and a prior tax bill. Republicans had already dropped $1 billion Trump wanted for security for his ballroom from the measure, adding to the fight over what the package would cover.
Scott MacFarlane reported that senators wanted to know what Trump was trying to mask by offering the controversial fund, and he said some viewed it as a diversion technique. Michael Gold and Carl Hulse reported that frustration with the White House had been worsened by Trump’s intervention in Republican primaries to defeat incumbents he saw as not loyal enough. Trump’s job approval rating was described as 34% in the source material.
Immigration Votes Delayed
Senate leadership decided not to try to pass $72 billion in funding for immigration agencies after the revolt. House Republican leaders also pulled a vote to stop Trump’s war on Iran under the War Powers Act, and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick said the next time that measure came to a vote, it would pass.
The breakdown left Republican leaders with a more immediate problem than the fund itself: whether they can move immigration money, War Powers legislation and the rest of Trump’s package without the support that appeared to crack on May 21.
