At 3:30 AM Eastern on Thursday, April 23, while most of America was asleep, the United States Senate voted 50-48 to pass a budget resolution that will fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection for more than three years — the remainder of the Trump administration — without a single Democratic vote. No debate. No negotiation. No compromise. Just $70 billion for the deportation machine, rammed through the reconciliation process that was designed for tax and spending bills, not for unilateral policy warfare.
This is the endgame of the DHS shutdown saga that’s been dragging on since February. Democrats demanded reforms to ICE as a condition of funding. Republicans said no. Democrats funded everything except ICE and CBP — a deal passed at 2 AM on March 27. House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring that bill to a vote until ICE got its money. So now Republicans are using reconciliation — a procedure that requires only 51 votes — to bypass Democrats entirely and hand ICE a blank check for three and a half years.
What They Voted Down at 3 AM
Before the final vote, the Senate went through a “vote-a-rama” — a marathon session where senators can force votes on unlimited amendments. Democrats used it to put Republicans on record opposing things their voters actually want. Here’s what got killed:
Schiff Amendment (FEMA disaster relief): Rejected 49-49. One vote short. Republicans couldn’t even bring themselves to fund FEMA during hurricane season.
Sanders Amendment (prescription drug prices): Rejected 49-49. Would have adopted Most Favored Nation pricing so Americans pay no more than Canadians or Europeans for the same drugs. One vote short.
Wyden Amendment (drug pricing transparency): Rejected 48-50. Would have required a study of secret pharma pricing agreements.
Padilla Amendment (unobligated reconciliation funds): Rejected 46-52. Would have created a point of order against reconciliation bills that fund agencies still sitting on money from previous reconciliation.
Read that again. Prescription drugs that cost Americans two to three times what they cost in every other developed country. 49-49. One vote. FEMA disaster relief with hurricane season approaching. 49-49. One vote. Both dead because Republicans decided that $70 billion for deportation agencies was more important than anything else in the country.
The Numbers
The resolution authorizes the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees to draft legislation increasing spending by up to $70 billion each. The final bill is expected to total around $70 billion — the committees have flexibility on how to split it. The money will fund ICE and parts of CBP for “more than three years,” according to Senate Republicans, ensuring that immigration enforcement remains funded through January 2029.
That’s not a budget. That’s an insurance policy against losing the midterms. If Democrats take back the House in November, they can’t defund ICE because it’s already funded through the rest of Trump’s term. Republicans are locking in the deportation infrastructure regardless of what voters decide in eight months.
“Republicans are doing something that must be done quickly, and that our Democrat colleagues are trying to prevent us from doing. That something is simple: fully fund Border Patrol and ICE at a time of great threat to the United States.” — Senator Lindsey Graham, Budget Committee Chairman
Only Two Republicans Voted No
Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to break ranks. Paul, true to form, opposed it on fiscal grounds — he’s been consistent about not wanting to spend money the government doesn’t have. Murkowski opposed it on process grounds. Every other Republican senator voted yes at 3:30 in the morning to fund deportation agencies for three-plus years while killing amendments on drug prices and disaster relief.
Senators Chuck Grassley and Mark Warner didn’t vote at all.
The House Problem
The resolution now goes to the House, where its future is less certain. House Speaker Johnson has signaled support but hasn’t scheduled a vote. Some House Republicans want to expand the bill to include the SAVE America Act voter restrictions and additional defense spending. Others want additional cuts to Medicaid and SNAP to offset the costs.
Trump wants the final bill signed by June 1. Senate leaders have publicly worried about whether the House will pass it without changes. If the House amends the resolution, it goes back to the Senate. If they pass it clean, the committees can start drafting the actual spending bill immediately.
Either way, the message from the Senate is clear: $70 billion for deporting people is a priority. Prescription drugs, disaster relief, and affordability are not. And they voted on it at 3:30 AM because they didn’t want you paying attention when they did it.
Sources
- CBS News: Senate adopted budget resolution 50-48 at 3:30 AM ET. Paul and Murkowski only GOP nos. $70 billion authorization for ICE/CBP. Reconciliation process bypasses Democrats. Trump wants June 1 final passage. Six-hour vote-a-rama preceded final vote. April 23, 2026.
- Deseret News: Senate adopted resolution after “rare overnight voting session.” Funds immigration enforcement for three years. Democrats introduced amendments on affordability issues, all rejected. “Democrats are sure to use them as fodder in future campaign ads.” House future uncertain. April 23, 2026.
- U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes: Full vote tallies for S.Con.Res. 33. Vote 105 (50-48, agreed). Vote 104 / Schiff FEMA (49-49, rejected). Vote 103 / Wyden drug pricing (48-50, rejected). Vote 101 / Sanders drug pricing (49-49, rejected). April 23, 2026.
- National Low Income Housing Coalition: $70 billion for ICE/CBP via reconciliation. Some Republicans pushing to include SAVE America Act and additional safety net cuts. Last year’s reconciliation cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid and SNAP. April 20, 2026.
- CBS News (2): Senate advanced resolution 52-46 on April 21 as first step. Graham: “Republicans are moving forward.” $70 billion total expected. 3+ year funding plan for ICE/CBP. April 21, 2026.
- Government Executive: GOP plan to fund immigration enforcement for 3 years during DHS partial shutdown. Reconciliation bypass to avoid Democratic demands for ICE reforms. Johnson withheld DHS bill in House pending reconciliation. April 14, 2026.