By MARY CLARE JALONICK, KEVIN FREKING and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press
Senate Republicans say they are seeking reassurances from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about the future of a new $1.776 billion settlement fund before they will move forward with legislation funding President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agencies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune pointed to Blanche's expected testimony in a House committee Tuesday afternoon. He told reporters that Blanche "previewed what he was going to say" about the settlement, which is designed to compensate Trump's political allies and has met with strong pushback from Senate Republicans. Asked if it was his understanding that the settlement fund was off the table, Thune said "that is correct." Neither Blanche nor Trump have said anything publicly about the future of the fund.
President Donald Trump is visiting Texas to assess catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 120 people. Despite his past calls to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Republican president has praised the federal response to the disaster. Trump plans to tour affected areas by air, meet first responders and speak with victims' families. Top members of Trump's administration have also shifted focus from reducing federal disaster management efforts to addressing the tragedy's human impact. Before Trump left on Friday, his director of the Office of Management and Budget suggested FEMA needs reform but didn't answer questions about whether the agency should be shuttered.
