Republican senator warns Trump: Kill the slush fund 'or else'

On Monday, it was announced that President Donald Trump’s highly controversial slush fund is “dead,” but as it was quickly pointed out, the Justice Department had not agreed to end the effort entirely, just to adhere to a judge’s temporary delay order. This has raised questions as to whether the White House intends to pursue the plan further. But some Senate Republicans are not willing to let the question linger, sending the administration a clear message: end the fund once and for all, or else.

This is according to Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), who, in the run-up to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s congressional testimony late Tuesday, told reporters, “I would pay attention to the attorney general's testimony before the House this afternoon. If it goes like we are told it will go there's a reasonable possibility we will move pretty quickly to the reconciliation.”

Kennedy was referring to the immigration and border patrol budget reconciliation bill that the Republicans have been struggling to pass for months. While it hit a number of hurdles along the way, it was derailed entirely by the announcement of the slush fund, which drew such widespread rage that even conservative lawmakers were willing to place everything on hold to oppose it. Monday’s news that the fund had been halted prompted GOP optimism that the reconciliation could proceed, but as some reporters noted, Republican skepticism persisted.

Then on Tuesday, as Republican Senators attempted to fast track the reconciliation, Senators like Kennedy noted that it would all come down to what they heard from Blanche. As Kennedy suggested, there was a rumor that the Attorney General was going to concede the issue. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said that he’d spoken with Blanche and that the latter assured him that he would provide “‘certainty’ to skittish GOP senators that he will halt the anti-weaponization fund.” Thune acknowledged that he was “not guaranteeing that that will happen,” noting that “it comes down to the math,” but he thought it was likely.

As of an hour before Blanche’s testimony, Thune had confirmed that he’d spoken with Blanche, but did not seem to know what the Attorney General intended to say. When asked if he believes the White House won’t move forward with the fund, Thune said, “That is correct.”

The inability to move forward on the reconciliation bill has been a major thorn in Republican lawmakers' side, especially with the midterms looming. The party already faces major headwinds due to Trump’s plunging approval rating and voter anger over issues like Iran, skyrocketing prices, and the president’s fixation on unpopular vanity projects. One such project — his much-demanded ballroom—has already delayed a previous version of the bill, which included $1 billion in funds for ballroom security, prompting a rare party revolt that saw several GOP Senators vote no.

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