Trump’s $70 Billion Blank Check for ICE Comes at Americans’ Expense

 

This week, Republicans in Congress passed a $70 billion blank check for the Trump Administration to ramp up its extreme and inhumane immigration crackdown. Congressional Republicans sent the costly bill to the president’s desk after rejecting Democrats’ efforts to block Trump’s slush fund for January 6 rioters and rein in abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This partisan bill will provide historic levels of funding for ICE and CBP – with none of the commonsense reforms that Americans supported and Democrats advocated for following the murder of two American citizens earlier this year. 

Below are topline talking points to help frame arguments against this massive and dangerous waste of taxpayer funds. 

Talking Points: 

  • At a time when hardworking American families are struggling with an affordability crisis, Donald Trump is demanding that taxpayers spend another $70 billion on his extreme immigration agenda.

  • Rather than spending a single penny to lower health care costs, bring down grocery prices, or help families make ends meet, Donald Trump is doubling down on one of the most divisive parts of his agenda that has killed American citizens, terrorized our communities, and diverted resources from real crime-fighting.

  • This bill provides unprecedented levels of funding for ICE and Border Protection to perform mass deportations and detention operations – even though the agencies haven’t even used all of the $100 billion Republicans gave them just last year.

  • Worse yet, Republicans are handing over this funding without even the most basic of commonsense accountability or oversight reforms that Americans support – even after two American citizens were murdered earlier this year. At the same time, the administration is working to keep its actions hidden from the public, blocking oversight and even routine visits by Members of Congress.

  • These historic spending levels are not only excessive – they come at the expense of the priorities that actually matter to American families. The same politicians who claim we cannot afford Medicare, child care, or Social Security somehow have no trouble finding tens of billions of dollars for Donald Trump’s cruel and inhumane immigration agenda or $1.5 trillion for the Department of Defense. 

  • In passing this bill, Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to outlaw Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund for January 6 rioters. They also opposed efforts to ensure taxpayer dollars could not be used for Trump’s  $1 billion White House ballroom project.

  • Americans want secure borders and safe communities. What they do not want is another blank check for a costly and unaccountable agenda that puts politics ahead of public safety.

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Published: June 2026