GOP leader offers immigration vote to try to resolve impasse

[alp227]

Last edited Mon Feb 23, 2015, 10:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days from a Homeland Security Department shutdown, Senate Republicans sought a way out Monday by splitting President Barack Obama's contested immigration measures from the agency's funding bill.

It was not clear whether the gambit by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would succeed ahead of Friday's midnight deadline to fund the department or see it shut down. It was far from certain whether it would win any Democratic support, and House conservatives remain firmly opposed to any funding bill for the Homeland Security Department that does not also overturn Obama's executive actions on immigration.

But with Senate Democrats united against a House-passed bill that funds the agency while blocking the president on immigration, McConnell said it was time for another approach.

"It's another way to get the Senate unstuck from a Democrat filibuster and move the debate forward," McConnell said on the Senate floor after a vote to advance the House-passed bill failed 47-46, short of the 60 votes needed. Three previous attempts earlier in the month had yielded similar results.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/062b64fd677c43fcbb10dd74ff1173d0/homeland-security-chief-budget-impasse-could-harm-states

[randys1]

1. Proof Republicans hate working people and want America to be attacked

period

[Fred Sanders]

2. Impasse? Love how the corporate media spins a deliberate and dangerous hostage taking as a spot of bother.

Proving once and for all the GOP cares more to attack and demonize the President than protect the country.

The hostage itself at the centre of this criminal act is barely mentioned.

[starroute]

3. They're sure doing their best to blame the Democrats

If you didn't know better, you might think the Democrats were blocking debate on a bill that would fund the department while preventing Obama from granting work permits to illegal immigrants. Silly Democrats!

There's no hint, at least in these opening paragraphs, that the GOP is trying to insert unrelated provisions into what should be a clean funding bill. Or that they're trying to roll back a amnesty for those who were brought here as small children that has already been in effect for four years.