Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and GOP leaders have reached an agreement that will see the upper chamber vote on funding the government hours before a potential shutdown was set to begin.
Graham put a hold on the vote, threatening to derail the compromise with Democrats, since it did not include legislation that let senators receive $500,000 cash payouts if they had their telephone records seized by special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the 2020 election.
Republican leaders agreed to hold the vote at a future date, along with another vote that would outlaw sanctuary cities — those that shield illegal aliens from prosecution or deportation — and Graham agreed to release his hold.
"We're going to have a vote on the United States Senate in two weeks as to whether or not we should criminalize the act of local and state officials who willfully disobey laws on the books because it's good politics for them," Graham said.
"What conduct am I talking about? State and local officials openly defying federal law that's been on the books for decades, incentivizing more illegal immigration, massive taxpayer rip-off, and break[ing] of law and order," he added.
Graham also blasted Republicans for not doing enough to hold protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement accountable for harassing agents and interfering in their operations.
"These people are patriotic. They're away from home," Graham said.
"These crowds that follow them to their hotel — they intimidate their families.
"The people pushing this are nuts. They're not normal."
Graham said he also wants a vote on substitute language expanding who can sue if their phone records are seized and requiring notification when senators are affected by a subpoena, Politico reported.
While Graham was one of the senators who had his phone records subpoenaed by Smith, he vowed this was not personal.
"It's not about me; 190 private groups had their phone records messed with. I want notification," Graham said.
A deal was reached Thursday to advance a major package of federal spending bills that would avert a government shutdown for most agencies beginning Saturday.
The agreement would split the Department of Homeland Security funding bill from the broader package and fund DHS at current levels for roughly two weeks while negotiations continue.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., gave a floor speech where he criticized "a handful of Republicans who are refusing to let us move forward."
The Senate is expected to vote on the government funding bill later Friday, with the House voting on the measure early next week.
The short-term DHS extension is intended to prevent an immediate lapse in funding for the agency while isolating the most contentious issues.
The broader spending package would fund the departments of War, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development through the end of the fiscal year.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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