The House plans to resume debate at 10 a.m. today on the $659 million emergency supplemental spending bill (H.R. 5230) for the alien surge. Yesterday, the Senate's emergency supplemental was defeated after Democrats failed to garner enough votes on a procedural motion made by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
The Senate bill (S. 2648) authored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., would have given President Obama more than $2 billion to address the border surge crisis. During Senate debate yesterday, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., filled the amendment tree on the Senate's emergency supplemental, meaning he would not allow a vote on any Republican amendments.
Sen. Sessions offered a motion to table the filled tree in order to make room for a vote on Sen. Ted Cruz’ (R-Tex.) amendment, which would have defunded the renewal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and prevented President Obama from granting work permits to additional illegal aliens. Sessions’ motion to table failed by a vote of 43 yeas and 52 nays, with all Republicans supporting the motion and one Democrat - Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. None of the Senate Democrats who claimed to oppose the president’s executive actions helped, including Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.
After a motion to table the filled tree failed, Sen. Sessions filed a budget point of order against the bill. Senate Democrats needed 60 votes to waive Sen. Sessions' point of order, but were only able to garner 50 votes. That killed the bill.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Sessions earlier commented:
“[This execution action would come] a time when millions of Americans are out of work. President Obama’s plan is a direct affront to every single unemployed American—particularly those in our poorest most vulnerable American communities. Who will speak for them? Who will give them a voice? Will this Congress? Will we hear their pleas?
The President’s planned work permits for illegal immigrants is in addition then, to this already huge flow of low-wage labor into the United States… Isn’t it time we did something for American workers? Isn’t it time, after forty years of lawless borders and open immigration, we looked out for them?”
