House passes Senate bill for emergency border funds
WASHINGTON » The House passed a $4.6 billion emergency spending bill for the humanitarian crisis on the U. S.-Mexico border Thursday, after Democratic leaders retreated from efforts to amend the legislation to add more restrictions on the Trump administration.
The 305-102 vote sends the legislation to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it, since the Senate passed the bill earlier in the week. The measure would pump billions into the budgets of agencies, including the Health and Human Services Department, that have been overwhelmed by the influx of Central American migrants at the southern border.
The decision by House Democratic leaders to bring the Senate-passed legislation up for a vote came after hours of frantic maneuvering during which Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- San Francisco, sought support for a new version of the bill containing additional protections for unaccompanied minors and restrictions on the administration’s use of funds.
But the White House made clear that it opposed Pelosi’s changes, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he would not take them up. The Senate legislation passed Wednesday on a bipartisan vote of 84- 8, and Republicans pointed repeatedly to that overwhelming margin in arguing Pelosi should agree to accept it.
On top of the GOP opposition, which had been expected, fresh problems emerged for the speaker Thursday morning when moderates in the House Democratic caucus began to revolt, threatening to block a key procedural vote unless Pelosi put the Senate bill on the House floor.
These moderates said they wanted to see the House act to address the border crisis, not get locked in a conflict with the Senate, especially with Congress about to leave Washington for a weeklong recess.
“To leave is unacceptable and not to take care of these children is unacceptable,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, DN. J., a member of the moderate Blue Dog group. “And quite frankly, not to work out a compromise with the Senate, in my mind, is unacceptable.”
After hours of closeddoor meetings with members of her caucus, Pelosi buckled to political reality and withdrew her proposed changes. The retreat underscored deep divisions among House Democrats that Pelosi had mostly been able to hold in check until now.
“The children come first,” Pelosi said in a message to colleagues. “At the end of the day, we have to make sure that the resources needed to protect the children are available. ... In order to get resources to the children fastest, we will reluctantly pass the Senate bill.”