Senate Republicans defeated language to block the creation of the Justice Department’s “anti-weaponization” fund, but not without three defections from swing-state senators and hours of suspense on the chamber floor.

The Thursday vote, brought by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), was the first in a prolonged fight centered on the $1.776 billion settlement fund. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche assured lawmakers this week that it would no longer move forward following a bipartisan uproar, but he refused to commit that to writing, and President Donald Trump has since given conflicting messages on its future.