Senateâs third try at DHS bill fails
The third time wasnât the charm. Senate Democrats again on Thursday rejected a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security over their opposition to riders that would block President Barack Obamaâs executive actions on immigration. The failed 52-47 vote was the third time this week that Democrats have refused to even debate the House GOPâs proposal. Story Continued Below McConnell changed his vote to no, which allows him to bring the stalled proposal up for a fourth vote at his whim. Party leaders Thursday morning recycled their rhetoric from earlier in the week as McConnell again blasted Democrats for not even debating the bill and Minority Leader Harry Reid linked recent terrorist attacks overseas with the possibility of a Feb. 27 funding lapse for DHS. The stalemate quickly descended into an extended floor spat between Reid and McConnell â the first such direct confrontation of this Congress. âThere is bipartisan support to move forward on a free-standing bill that sends Homeland Security directly to the president,â Reid said during a tense back-and-forth. âWe want to do that. Thatâs what should be done.â A bemused McConnell responded by reminding the Nevada Democrat who runs the Senate now: âAs my good friend the Democratic leader reminded me for eight years, the majority leader always gets the last word.â âIâm sure weâll resolve this sometime in the next few weeks,â McConnell (R-Ky.) said as the exchange ended. With a week-long recess scheduled for the holiday week of Feb. 16, Congress has only a handful of legislative days to figure out how to avoid blowing its first major deadline of the year. But three weeks ahead of that deadline, which was created by the December âCromnibusâ funding bill, no proposal exists that can pass both chambers of Congress. House conservatives have insisted on including riders blocking Obamaâs efforts to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. McConnell has repeatedly brought that measure to the floor to the unanimous opposition of Democrats. The exercise is intended to demonstrate to House Republicans that nothing can pass the Senate without Democratic support. But the series of failed votes is beginning to frustrate rank-and-file Republicans and ratchet up tensions between GOP House members and senators. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) came to the floor Thursday morning to offer her idea of funding DHS and blocking Obamaâs broader 2014 executive action while leaving untouched the more narrow 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which affected certain undocumented immigrants. âWe have reached an impasse,â Collins said. âI urge my colleagues to give consideration to my proposed compromise.â But her plan wonât fly with Democrats. Reid says his caucus of 46 Democrats will not accept anything other than a clean funding bill, a position supported by moderate Democrats like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Collinsâ proposal still amounts to legislative âhostage-taking.â âI donât appreciate the results sheâs asked for,â Schumer said of Collins. âBut I always appreciate her efforts.â