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Senate Republican threatens to derail ICE, Border Patrol package over Trump’s billion-dollar request
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An internal dispute could derail Republicans’ goal of funding immigration operations for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s presidency.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told his colleagues that he would not support the GOP’s $72 billion reconciliation package if it included $1 billion in funding for Trump’s ballroom.
His defection, along with a handful of other Republicans critical of the funding, could sink the bill.
SENATE REPUBLICANS BALK AT $1B WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM REQUEST: ‘YOU MADE THAT NUMBER UP’
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told his colleagues that he would not support the upcoming budget reconciliation package if it included $1 billion for President Donald Trump’s ballroom. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
And given the GOP’s narrow margin in the upper chamber, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., can’t afford Republicans to break from the party line.
Tillis’ opposition, which was first reported by Axios and confirmed by a source familiar to Fox News Digital, alone isn’t enough to torpedo the package meant to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years.
But others, including Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., aren’t thrilled with the funding.
Republicans were briefed by Secret Service Director Sean Curran last week on the funding, which included $220 million for «White House complex hardening.»
REPUBLICANS SLIP $1 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY FOR TRUMP BALLROOM SECURITY IN ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE
That would fund «above and below ground» security enhancements for Trump’s ballroom, which the administration argued would «afford needed protection for the president, his family, and visitors, along with the below-ground, highest-level security functions,» according to an itemized readout obtained by Fox News Digital.
Those enhancements would include bulletproof glass, drone detection technology, chemical filtration and detection systems and «a host of other national security functions.»
An additional $180 million would go toward a White House screening center for visitors. The remaining $600 million would go toward Secret Service training, enhancing protection for Trump and other officials, and other security measures including countering drones and other aerial incursions.
But a saving grace for Republicans could be the Senate referee’s ruling that funding for the ballroom should get yanked from the package.
In order for budget reconciliation to pause the 60-vote threshold and pass under a simple majority of votes, the package has to comply with the Senate’s strict Byrd Rule. Senate Democrats pushed for the Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to strip out the funding, and they were successful.
SEVERAL PROVISIONS FAIL TO PASS MUSTER WITH SENATE RULES IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump join the royal couple for a photo in front of a model of the new presidential ballroom at the White House. (Aaron Chown/AFP via Getty Images)
McDonough ruled over the weekend that, given the complexity and scale of the ballroom project, it would involve the coordination of «many government agencies which span the jurisdiction of many Senate committees. As drafted, the provision inappropriately funds activities outside the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee.»
Thune said that Republicans had learned a lot from the parliamentarian’s rulings last year when they were crafting the «big, beautiful bill,» and that the process is a «give-and-take.»
But still, it’s full steam ahead for the GOP to try and advance the package by the end of the week.
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«I think that if we can get it done, we should get it done,» Thune said. «I’m always somebody who believes, especially around here, you want to strike while the iron’s hot, and I think if we, if we’re ready to go, the committees have acted, and we’re in a good place with parliamentarian, and we’ve got, you know, decent attendance here, then I think we want to try and wrap this up.»
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, lauded the ruling, but noted that Republicans would likely try to find a way to work the funding back in.
«We cannot let Republicans waste our national treasure on a mission of chaos and corruption while turning a blind eye to the needs of the American people,» Merkley said.
white house, republicans elections, john thune, senate elections, democrats senate, politics
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Estados Unidos impidió el ingreso de 84 buques comerciales con destino a Irán desde el inicio del bloqueo en Ormuz
El Ejército de Estados Unidos elevó a 84 el número de buques mercantes desviados en el estrecho de Ormuz como consecuencia del cierre perimetral impuesto en la zona, mientras la administración de Donald Trump mantuvo la tregua indefinida con Irán y continuaron las negociaciones indirectas entre ambos países para alcanzar un acuerdo de paz.
“A fecha de 18 de mayo, las fuerzas del Ejército de Estados Unidos han desviado 84 buques mercantes y han inmovilizado cuatro”, informó el Mando Central del Ejército estadounidense (CENTCOM) en un mensaje difundido en redes sociales.
La situación en el estrecho de Ormuz continúa bajo alta tensión después de más de un mes de restricciones marítimas impulsadas por Washington en uno de los principales corredores energéticos del mundo. Las autoridades iraníes cuestionaron las medidas estadounidenses y señalaron que el bloqueo marítimo y la incautación de embarcaciones iraníes representan una violación del alto el fuego alcanzado el 8 de abril.
El anuncio del CENTCOM coincidió con las declaraciones de Trump sobre la suspensión de un ataque militar previsto contra Irán. El presidente estadounidense afirmó que tomó la decisión tras pedidos de Qatar, Arabia Saudita y Emiratos Árabes Unidos, en medio de avances diplomáticos con Teherán.
“El Emir de Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, el Príncipe Heredero de Arabia Saudita, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, y el Presidente de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, me han pedido que pospongamos nuestro ataque militar planeado contra la República Islámica de Irán”, escribió Trump en su red social.
El mandatario estadounidense sostuvo que los líderes árabes le transmitieron que “se están llevando a cabo negociaciones serias” y que “se alcanzará un acuerdo que será muy aceptable para los Estados Unidos de América, así como para todos los países de Oriente Medio y más allá”.
Trump también remarcó que el eventual entendimiento incluirá “la prohibición de armas nucleares para Irán”. En el mismo mensaje agregó: “He dado instrucciones al Secretario de Guerra, Pete Hegseth, al Presidente del Estado Mayor Conjunto, General Daniel Caine, y a las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos, de que NO llevaremos a cabo el ataque programado contra Irán mañana (martes)”.
No obstante, el mandatario republicano advirtió que las fuerzas estadounidenses permanecerán listas para actuar si fracasan las conversaciones. “Les he dado instrucciones adicionales para que estén preparados para proceder con un ataque a gran escala contra Irán, en cualquier momento, en caso de que no se llegue a un acuerdo aceptable”, expresó.
Horas antes, Trump endureció el tono frente a Teherán durante una entrevista telefónica con el diario New York Post. “No estoy dispuesto a nada en este momento”, respondió al ser consultado sobre posibles concesiones vinculadas al programa nuclear iraní. Además, sostuvo que Irán “sabe lo que va a pasar pronto”, aunque evitó dar precisiones.
Desde Teherán, el Jefe de Estado iraní Masud Pezeshkian respondió que el diálogo con Washington no implica una renuncia a las posiciones iraníes. “La República Islámica de Irán entabla el diálogo con dignidad, autoridad y con el objetivo de preservar los derechos de la nación”, escribió en redes sociales.
El mandatario iraní añadió que su país “bajo ninguna circunstancia renunciará a los derechos legítimos del pueblo y del país”. También aseguró: “Con sensatez y con todas nuestras fuerzas, hasta el último aliento, serviremos al pueblo y salvaguardaremos los intereses y el honor de Irán”.
Las conversaciones entre Washington y Teherán continúan con Pakistán como intermediario. Islamabad encabeza el proceso diplomático desde el alto el fuego alcanzado el 8 de abril, aunque las diferencias entre las partes todavía impiden una segunda ronda formal de negociaciones.
El portavoz del Ministerio de Exteriores iraní, Esmaeil Baqaei, confirmó que los contactos diplomáticos siguen activos. Según la agencia estatal IRNA, Estados Unidos transmitió la semana pasada “una serie de puntos revisados y consideraciones” a través de Pakistán, en respuesta a una propuesta iraní previa compuesta por 14 puntos.
(Con información de Europa Press)
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Maduro ally deported to US over alleged billion-dollar corruption scheme tied to oil, food program
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A close ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been deported by Venezuela to the United States, according to Venezuelan officials, to face federal charges accusing him of orchestrating a sweeping money laundering and bribery scheme tied to Venezuela’s state-run food program and oil industry.
Alex Nain Saab Moran, 55, of Colombia, a former minister of industry and national production under the Maduro regime, appeared in federal court in Miami Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Justice Department said Saab is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Prosecutors allege Saab led a yearslong scheme beginning around 2015 to defraud a humanitarian program intended to provide food to impoverished Venezuelans.
He and his co-conspirators later allegedly sold billions of dollars’ worth of Venezuelan state-owned oil while circumventing U.S. sanctions, according to the Justice Department. Authorities say the proceeds were routed through U.S. bank accounts in an effort to conceal the transactions and further advance the scheme.
MADURO ALLY ALEX SAAB ARRESTED IN JOINT US-VENEZUELAN OPERATION, OFFICIAL SAYS
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro (L) speaks to supporters next to Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab during a rally in Caracas on January 23, 2024. (GABRIELA ORAA/AFP via Getty Images)
«Alex Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a Venezuelan food program meant for the poor and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil,» Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in a statement. «This is unacceptable. The Criminal Division will not allow foreign actors to exploit the American financial system and use it as a safe haven for the proceeds of their corruption.»
Beginning around 2015, Saab and his associates allegedly paid bribes to Venezuelan government officials to secure contracts tied to the country’s CLAP welfare program, which was intended to purchase and distribute food to vulnerable and impoverished Venezuelans.
Instead of delivering the promised food supplies, prosecutors allege the group used shell companies, fraudulent invoices and falsified shipping records to embezzle hundreds of millions of dollars from the program for their own personal gain.
TREASURY TARGETS OIL TRADERS, TANKERS ACCUSED OF HELPING MADURO EVADE U.S. SANCTIONS
Businessman Alex Saab walks through Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Around 2019, as sweeping U.S. sanctions crippled Venezuela’s oil exports and placed severe strain on the country’s finances, including its ability to pay Saab and his associates under the CLAP program, Saab and his partners allegedly exploited their corrupt ties to government officials to gain access to billions of dollars’ worth of oil owned by Venezuela’s state-run oil company.
Officials allege the group sold the oil under false pretenses and used the profits to sustain and expand the original food fraud scheme.
Saab and his associates reportedly laundered the allegedly stolen funds through U.S. bank accounts in an effort to conceal the money trail, giving American authorities jurisdiction to prosecute the case.
«When illicit proceeds are moved through the United States financial system, our courts have jurisdiction and our prosecutors will act,» U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) shakes hands with Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab in Caracas on January 15, 2024. (FEDERICO PARRA/AFP)
Saab was previously indicted in the U.S. in 2019 and extradited from Cabo Verde in 2021. He was pardoned by President Biden in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap, though prosecutors say the new case involves alleged conduct not covered by that pardon.
A Miami-based attorney for Saab declined to comment to The Associated Press.
If convicted, Saab faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The government is also seeking forfeiture of any property or proceeds allegedly obtained through the alleged criminal activity.
The case was investigated by a U.S. Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
venezuelan political crisis, colombia, saab, nicolas maduro, sanctions, crime world
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