Senate Republicans break with Trump over 'anti-weaponization fund' concerns

[0:00] Welcome to the NewsHour. On Capitol Hill today, a dramatic series of developments unfolded as some [0:05] Senate Republicans openly broke with President Trump over his request for funding tied to a [0:10] new White House ballroom and a controversial so-called anti-weaponization fund. Acting [0:16] Attorney General Todd Blanche made an unplanned trip to Capitol Hill to personally argue the [0:21] case for that fund. It didn't work. Amidst sharp questions and concerns from Republicans, [0:26] the president did not have the votes he needed, and the Senate has instead left town. [0:31] Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins was there as all of this happened and joins us now [0:35] with the latest. Lisa, dramatic day on Capitol Hill, to say the least, leading to at least a [0:40] temporary collapse of Republicans' reconciliation bill that would fund ICE and CBP. What happened? [0:45] Well, per senators in the room from different parts of the Republican spectrum, Republican [0:49] senators en masse pushed back at the White House today, saying, at least for now, [0:54] President Trump's requests for funding have gone too far. Now, that has derailed this key bill, [1:00] at least for now. I want to look at what that bill, what's at stake here. That's the Secure America [1:04] Act. It's large, as you can see, and it's almost entirely funding for ICE and Customs and Border [1:08] Protection. That was poised for passage until the White House and Senator Lindsey Graham added that [1:14] $1 billion, you see that there, that small slice of this bill, for the ballroom and for security. [1:20] That is what started to unravel this. But it wasn't the only problem. After that, the President and [1:25] Justice Department announced that $1.8 billion settlement with Trump to establish a so-called [1:31] weaponization fund to compensate those thought to be politically prosecuted. That created both [1:37] political and ideological havoc widely across the Senate Republican spectrum. So, Senator Thune, [1:45] the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, called up the acting attorney general today to explain how [1:50] this fund would work, to try and reassure senators. He gave them a one-page, basically bullet point [1:56] document over how it would work, trying to reassure them. The opposite happened. After about a two-and-a-half [2:03] hour meeting, a very tense one, Republican senators instead decided they would go home and pass nothing [2:08] because they were not reassured about that fund at all. [2:11] That one-page document, you obtained a copy of it. What does it tell us? [2:15] It is telling in both what it says and what it doesn't. I want viewers to look at this closely. [2:19] First of all, it lays out that the President, and specifically his sons, are to get no monetary [2:24] payment from the settlement or the fund, just an apology. Now, it does not specifically say that's [2:30] legally binding. This is all the detail that we have. Also, how would the billions be distributed by five [2:36] people appointed by the attorney general, who, of course, is appointed by President Trump? [2:42] What about the size of the settlement? That $1.77 billion, it says, is a fair amount because, [2:48] quote, literally tens of millions of Americans are subject to unlawful targeting, a huge amount. [2:54] Now, this document does not say anything about limiting people who were found guilty of, say, [2:59] assaulting police officers or other crimes on January 6th. That also was a problem for Republican senators. [3:04] Okay, so that concern over January 6th, rioters in particular potentially getting compensation [3:09] from the fund, it's part of this debate. I know there was a big moment that got a lot of [3:12] attention on the floor today related to that. Tell us about that. [3:15] We paid attention to it. We spotted this. This was Senator Tuberville of Alabama. [3:18] He just won the primary to be governor of that state for Republicans. [3:21] He took to the floor saying that many January 6th defendants should be compensated, [3:26] and he returned two statements that we know are false. [3:29] Let's be clear of what happened that day. Let's go back and look at it. [3:34] Democrats in the deep state, they hated Donald Trump so much that they orchestrated a coup [3:39] against our government. [3:43] Now, this we know is false. You and I were both there on January 6th. [3:47] Those rioters and those who assaulted violently the Capitol and police officers were doing so [3:52] in the name of President Trump. I raise this because it is five years later, [3:55] and this is still coming up from a U.S. senator. [3:57] So important to make clear. [3:58] Meanwhile, we know President Trump is also continuing to face pushback from lawmakers [4:02] on the war in Iran. What's the latest on that? [4:04] Right. We've seen action this week. The U.S. Senate now shifted, [4:07] so that a majority of the Senate this week voted to open the debate about Iran war powers. [4:13] And tonight, Amna, the U.S. House, as we speak, was supposed to be voting on that same idea. [4:18] Should the president be able to continue in Iran? Let's look at what's happening on the House floor right now. [4:23] Here's an example of the problems for the president. Right now, they actually have skipped that vote, [4:29] something called pulling the bill. That means they think they would lose that vote, [4:34] which would have been a strong rebuke from the president. Even pulling that vote alone [4:38] shows opposition to the president on Iran is not just growing, but it may in fact be a majority of Congress. [4:44] Busy day on Capitol Hill. Lisa Desjardins, thank you. [4:47] You're welcome. [4:48] Support journalism you trust. Support PBS News. Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.