The Two Republicans Who Broke Ranks as GOP Clears Path for ICE Funding

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 20, 2026. —Graeme Sloan—Getty ImagesThe Senate voted to adopt a budget resolution aimed at clearing the path to fund immigration agencies in an effort to end the two-month shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS.)The measure advanced with a 50-48 call early Thursday, with all but two Republicans voting in favor of advancing the GOP plan that could see the eventual approval of around $70 billion in additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska notably joined all Democrats in voting against the measure.Sen. Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, raised issue with the breakdown of the numbers, suggesting cuts be made elsewhere. “Congress ought to fund border security, but we should be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars and fully pay for the $70 billion to secure our borders,” he told the Senate floor.Paul instead suggested an amendment, proposing the elimination of $5 billion in refugee welfare, cutting more than $45 billion in foreign aid, slashing the National Science Foundation by nearly $4 billion, and reducing the Department of Education by 16%.“These reductions would be made in just one fiscal year and would fully pay for border security,” he claimed.Paul has previously broken with his party on fiscal policy matters.In February 2025, he was the only Republican to oppose a resolution led by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that would have allowed…

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