‘You’ll always be my friend’: Trump and Ron DeSantis put aside rivalry at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
There was no evidence of the onetime rivalry between Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis yesterday as they came together in a common cause: opening an immigrant detention center in the swampy heart of Florida.
Trump and his top deputies visited the Everglades, where Florida officials delivered a win for his anti-immigration agenda and positioned the state on the forefront of his crackdown.
The facility, which Republican leaders dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” is set to house 3,000 detainees and took just eight days to construct.
“It might be as good as the real Alcatraz,” Trump told reporters yesterday. “It’s a little controversial, but I couldn’t care less.”
House Speaker Johnson races to get Trump’s megabill approved before deadline
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Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Frank Thorp V, Kyle Stewart and Syedah Asghar
The House is expected to turn to the Trump-backed GOP agenda bill today after the Senate narrowly passed the sweeping domestic policy package yesterday following a marathon overnight session that spanned more than 24 hours and saw votes on dozens of amendments.
The House Rules Committee advanced the legislation in a 7-6 vote overnight after a 12-hour meeting. Freedom Caucus members Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, sided with Democrats in opposing the measure.
The bill now heads to the floor this morning for an hour of debate on the rule starting as early as 9 a.m.
Johnson will be forced to scramble to pass the legislation before a self-imposed July 4 deadline. The bill faces hurdles in the House, where Republicans can similarly spare only three votes. The chamber passed an earlier version of the legislation by one vote, and the Senate changes have drawn criticism from some GOP lawmakers.
Meanwhile, members are scrambling to get back to Washington, with flights canceled across the country due to weather.