The Senate failed to move forward on a measure to block President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration, putting at risk funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
One Republican joined all Democrats to oppose the measure that is the latest battle between the newly controlled Republican Congress and President Barack Obama.
The bill would have funded the Department of Homeland Security, which runs out of funding on February 27, while also limiting the president’s authority to implement his executive order that gives reprieve to millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation.
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Democrats are demanding a vote on a “clean” bill that only includes funding the DHS.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday morning before the vote, “At its core, this debate is about whether Democrats think presidents, of either party, should have the power to simply do what they want. “
Sen. Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, called the Republican bill that passed the already passed the House “politically motivated,” saying he is “not willing to hold our Department of Homeland Security funding hostage.”
It’s unclear how the Republicans are going to proceed next.
- Leigh Ann Caldwell and Frank Thorp V