After a weeks-long battle between the House and Senate on the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, has Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell caved to Democrat demands?
Democrats in the Senate have held the DHS funding bill hostage by refusing to vote for cloture to move the bill to the floor for approval. Nevertheless, House Speaker Boehner has remained firm, continuing to back the House bill which bars funds for the implementation of the president’s executive amnesty. The deadline to fund DHS is midnight Friday.
In a move to appease his colleges on the left, McConnell has offered to divide the bill in two parts: the first a clean funding bill and the second a vote to defund the president’s executive action on illegal immigration.
Harry Reid responded, immediately demanding to know if Speaker Boehner would go along with the plan. He refused to cooperate until assured. McConnell retorted by pointing out that he had just offered the Democrats what they had been asking for the past two months and didn’t see why there was a holdup:
“I’ve indicated to the Democratic leader that I’d be happy to have his cooperation to advance the consideration of a clean DHS bill which would carry us through till September 30th.”
Conservatives have already taken to the air to slam what they view as yet another retreat by congressional Republicans from their campaign promises. Though has Boehner assured that a ‘clean’ version of the funding bill would pass the House, many wonder whether House conservatives may still block it virtually guaranteeing a shutdown of the agency.
