The U.S. Senate passed a Republican-led budget resolution early Thursday morning by a vote of 50-48, paving the way for a filibuster-proof bill to fund immigration enforcement with up to $70 billion.

The measure, S. Con. Res. 33, establishes the congressional budget for fiscal year 2026 and provides reconciliation instructions to the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. It allows lawmakers to draft legislation increasing the deficit to bolster Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) funding through 2029. The vote came at 3:36 a.m. Eastern after a six-hour vote-a-rama session that stretched into the early hours of April 23.

All Democrats opposed the resolution. Two Republicans defected: Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) hailed the outcome, stating on X, "Republicans stuck together to do something Democrats are refusing to do: Fully fund the Border Patrol and ICE for three and a half years."

Democrats used the vote-a-rama to force Republicans into recorded votes on affordability issues, proposing amendments to lower health care costs, grocery prices, housing expenses, electricity bills, and child care. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered an amendment requiring the budget to reduce out-of-pocket health care costs, which failed with support from only Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). Other defeated proposals included Sen. Ben Ray Luján's (D-N.M.) fund to cut grocery costs and reverse food aid cuts, Sen. John Hickenlooper's (D-Colo.) measure on consumer prices from tariffs and the Iran war, and amendments by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) targeting housing, electricity, and insurance denials.

Schumer criticized the GOP focus, saying, "This is what Republicans are fighting for. To maintain two unchecked rogue agencies... instead of reducing your health care costs, your housing costs, your grocery costs, your gas costs." Graham countered that Democrats had opposed border funding "at a time of great peril."

The resolution advances Republican priorities amid ongoing debates over border security. It sets the stage for a reconciliation bill that could pass with a simple majority, bypassing the 60-vote filibuster threshold. The measure now heads to the House, where GOP leaders must adopt an identical version before committees draft the underlying legislation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) expressed optimism for House action soon, aiming for a June 1 deadline tied to President Trump's immigration agenda.

This budget blueprint represents a key step in Republican efforts to secure long-term funding for immigration enforcement without Democratic support, following the introduction of the bill on April 21.