The Senate passed a DHS spending bill after Senators succeeded in stripping language that would have defunded President Obama’s executive amnesties. Going back on their deal with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Democrats blocked from consideration separate legislation to defund the executive amnesty announced on 11/20/14. Meanwhile, the House failed to pass a continuing resolution that would extend funding for the Homeland Security Department through March 19th. Speaker John Boehner will continue to seek votes tonight as the midnight funding deadline looms.
The initial cloture vote to begin debate on the spending bill passed with significant opposition on a 68-31 vote. Many Republicans were unhappy with the deal McConnell struck with Democrats. That deal called for Democrats to drop their filibuster on the spending bill if McConnell agreed to strip the House-passed defunding language. It also provided for no Democratic filibuster on the initial cloture vote on separate defunding legislation.
As promised, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., offered a motion to table procedures McConnell set up to prevent Senators from offering other amendments. The motion failed on a 34-65 vote.
Next came the vote on the McConnell’s amendment to strip the House-passed defunding language. That amendment was agreed to by a 66-33 margin. The Senate then passed the bill by a 68-31 margin.
After the bill passed, Sen. Susan Collins asked to begin debate on a separate bill that would have defunded the president’s November executive amnesty but left in place the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals amnesty from 2012. Although the deal with McConnell had Democrats supporting the initial cloture vote, they reneged and opposed opening debate. The 57-42 vote failed to achieve the requisite 60 votes even with the support of four Democrats. McConnell moved to keep the bill alive for future consideration.
Rather than take up the Senate’s stripped version of the bill, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, decided to pursue a continuing resolution to fund DHS through March 19. Democrats decided to oppose the measure so he needed unity within his caucus to pass it. That proved to be elusive when the vote on passage failed by a 203-224 margin.
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., one Republican who voted against the measure, said "I am not going to vote under any circumstances to fund illegal conduct. It does not make any difference whether the funding is for three weeks, three months or a full fiscal year. If it's illegal, it's illegal."
Read more from The Washington Times and Politico.
