$70 Billion Homeland Security Funding Plan Approved by Senate
In a “vote” that lasted nearly six hours, the Senate voted to move forward with a $70 billion plan to fund homeland security agencies, including ICE.
President Donald Trump supported changing the name of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, April 26th.
With the name change, the agency’s acronym will change from ICE to NICE. The change was first promoted by conservative influencer Alyssa Marie in March.
“I want President Trump to change ICE to NICE (National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency) so the media has to talk about NICE workers all day every day,” she said in a post on X.
More than a month after Murray proposed the change, Trump has weighed in and publicly supported it.
“Great idea!!! Please do it. President DJT,” President Trump said on Truth Social.
Changing the names of federal agencies typically requires approval from Congress, but that hasn’t stopped the Trump administration from trying to rename parts of the federal government. In September 2025, President Trump signed an executive order requiring the U.S. Department of Defense to be renamed the Department of the Army.
ICE faces widespread criticism
The name change comes as ICE has come under deep criticism across the U.S. in the wake of Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, where two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Preti, were shot and killed by federal agents earlier this year.
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which runs ICE, has stalled as Democrats have called for a series of reforms to immigration enforcement in the wake of the deaths.
Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously approved a bill that would fund all of DHS except ICE and Border Patrol. However, the bill was rejected by House Republicans, who instead called on Senate Republicans to fully fund DHS.
And on Thursday, April 23, the Senate approved a $70 billion package to fund ICE and Border Patrol over three years. The House must now approve funding.
Although DHS funding has not yet been passed, funding for ICE has not been seriously affected, as ICE already received billions of dollars through the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act passed in Congress in 2025.
USA TODAY’s Zachary Schermele and Natalie Neysa Alund contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.
