Trump 'slush fund' a flashpoint as Senate heads home without funding DHS

Key points

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.
• Congress will leave Washington this week without approving a package that would fund immigration enforcement agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, as tensions simmered over a recently announced $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund that could provide payouts to allies of President Donald Trump.
• The Senate was originally planning to start considering the package Thursday, potentially sending it to the House to take up before both chambers are slated to take a one-week recess.
• But plans were paused after a meeting at the Capitol with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was dispatched on Thursday to brief Republican senators on the fund.
• Some were not satisfied.