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SENATE

‘Loser pays’ costs Minnesota GOP

ST. PAUL | In the last chapter of a stinging loss to now-Sen. Al Franken, Minnesota’s Republican Party has sent the Democrat almost $96,000 to cover legal fees associated with the epic recount battle under the state’s “loser pays” law.

Republican Party spokesman Mark Drake said a check was sent via courier Monday to Mr. Franken’s campaign committee. It arrived Tuesday, the same day Mr. Franken took his oath of office for the seat.

Minnesota law required Republican incumbent Norm Coleman to reimburse Mr. Franken for some costs because Mr. Coleman’s lawsuit challenging the election results did not change the outcome. The judgment excluded Mr. Franken’s attorney fees. The Republican and Democratic parties have each chipped in to help pay the candidates’ legal bills.

The check included $872 in interest that accrued in the month since Mr. Coleman was ordered to pay up.

IMMIGRATION

Senate wants real border fence

The Senate voted Wednesday to require actual fencing along 700 miles of the border with Mexico rather than vehicle barriers and high-tech equipment.

The plan by Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, won approval on a 54-44 vote as the Senate began a second day of debate on a $42.9 billion measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the budget year beginning Oct. 1.

Mr. DeMint said the U.S.-Mexico border “has become a battleground” where drug and weapons traffickers, along with illegal immigrants, move too freely. He said the department is spending too much on “virtual” fencing such as motion detectorsthat he said don’t work as well as a real fence designed to block people crossing the border on foot.

Sen. George V. Voinovich, Ohio Republican, countered that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency was the best judge of the preferred fencing for various parts of the border. He said some stretches of physical fencing can cost up to $5 million per mile.

Separately, Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican, pushed through a plan to extend permanently the E-Verify program, which uses the Social Security database to check whether workers are illegal immigrants. His plan also would require companies doing business with the federal government to use the system.

TOXIC DEBT

Treasury taps fund managers

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