The Senate voted down an attempt to filibuster S. 2648, the supplemental spending bill President Obama requested to address the surge alien crisis. Senators invoked cloture (initiated debate) on a 63-33 vote. Floor debate is expected to begin Thursday with the first votes on Friday.
The bill, which the White House formally endorsed on Monday, would give the president $2.7 billion to deal with the surge. $1.2 billion would go to the Department of Health and Human Services for the housing and care for surge aliens. Funds also are included for more immigration judges, detention facilities, and aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, the three countries of origin for most surge aliens. The measure does not include amendments to the 2008 human trafficking law the president initially requested. Obama claims that law prevents him from deporting surge aliens even though it does not apply to the vast majority.
Eleven Republicans voted to invoke cloture, some claiming they wanted to be able to offer amendments during debate. "My constituents back home don't understand why in the world we would leave without fixing this problem, without addressing this humanitarian crisis," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "If we don't do anything to deal with the causes or deal with a remedy for this growing humanitarian crisis, it's going to get worse." Other Republicans called the bill a “blank check” for the president, whose policies they say caused the surge.
Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana – two Democrats who face difficult reelection bids -- joined 31 Republicans in voting against moving the bill forward.
The House will begin floor debate Thursday on its supplemental spending bill (H.R. 5230). On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he may want to attach the Senate's comprehensive amnesty bill to the measure. "Maybe it's an opening for us," Reid said. "They are finally sending us something on immigration. Maybe we could do that."
But Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, responded saying the House "will not take up the Senate immigration reform bill or accept it back from the Senate in any fashion. Nor will we accept any attempt to add any other comprehensive immigration reform bill or anything like it, including the DREAM Act, to the House’s targeted legislation."
The White House today announced the president will veto the House's version of the supplemental spending bill, saying the legislation contains insufficient funds and would not provide due process protections for surge aliens.
Read more from the Associated Press.
