Senate Vote-a-Rama Begins on GOP Immigration Funding Bill as Trump Announces Key Nomination

The Senate vote-a-rama is underway as Republicans push toward passage of a 70-billion-dollar budget reconciliation package to fund the Trump administration's immigration enforcement priorities. The process began this morning with an amendment from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that would have sent the bill back to committee and prohibited funding for the President's proposed 1.8-billion-dollar "anti-weaponization fund." That vote stretched nearly four hours before failing, 50 to 49. Senators then turned to an amendment from North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis that would have redirected the fund's money to the Justice Department's anti-fraud efforts. That proposal was also rejected. At the White House, President Trump announced he intends to nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to serve permanently in the role. The president also unveiled 700 million dollars in funding for coal plants and energy infrastructure projects across 11 states. And President Trump weighed in on the war with Iran and his appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence. We'll have the latest from Capitol Hill and the White House coming up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices