The House of Representatives adjourns for its month-long August recess later today, but before it does, it will vote on H.R.5230, its emergency supplemental border bill. The bill gives Pres. Obama $659 million to deal with the border surge, but doesn't address the cause of the problem -- his executive amnesties and promises of future amnesties. In the Senate, GOP Senators are pushing Majority Leader Harry Reid for a vote on the House bill as well.
Click here for an analysis of the House emergency supplemental.
Yesterday, anti-amnesty champion Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) stated how House GOP Leaders could get the votes needed to pass the emergency supplemental. While Leadership is optimistic that the bill will pass, there are still at least a dozen Republican lawmakers that oppose the bill and could prevent it from passing. Rep. King wants language in the bill that would modify the 2008 anti-trafficking Wilberforce law changed to reflect the language in Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Bob Goodlatte's bill, H.R.5137. Also, Rep. King wants Rep. Marsha Blackburn's anti-DACA bill, H.R.5160, included.
Leadership has offered Republican lawmakers who remain on the fence a vote on a modified version of Rep. Blackburn's bill. But the modified version is significantly weaker than the original bill, and Leadership has only offered a vote if the emergency supplemental passes first.
Yesterday, the Senate voted to open debate on its emergency supplemental authored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). The bill would give Pres. Obama about $2 billion in funding, but doesn't include any policy changes. GOP Senators are pressuring Senate Majority Leader Reid to offer a vote on an amendment that would replace Sen. Mikulski's bill with the House's emergency supplemental bill.
NumbersUSA is opposing both the House's emergency supplemental and efforts in the Senate to vote on the House bill. Please visit your Action Board for phone actions you can take.
