Ga. congressmen press case on DHS funding

Republicans say public backs them as furloughs loom.

WASHINGTON — With two days until funding expires for the federal Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House showed sharp divisions on whether and how to fund the agency while striking back at President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., advanced a plan Wednesday to split the fights, with separate votes on a bill to invalidate Obama’s immigration plans and a bill to fund the agency through September.

Georgia Republican U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue voted for a procedural motion to begin debate on the measure, but they would not say whether they will support a “clean” bill to fund DHS.

“Timing has a lot to do with which way you vote and the order in which you bring things up,” said Isakson, who would rather vote first on a rebuke to Obama’s action.

“Also, there’s still a lot of time for mischief,” Isakson said, “and so until the mischief ’s gone, I’m going to keep my powder dry.”

Republicans had sought to use DHS funding as leverage to force Obama to back off his executive action to remove the threat of deportation for up to 5 million people living here illegally.

But Senate Democrats for weeks filibustered a House-passed bill to fund DHS while blocking Obama’s deportation relief actions. They dropped the filibuster Wednesday in exchange for McConnell’s commitment to bring up a clean funding bill.

Across the Capitol, Georgia’s House Republicans had no intention of abandoning their chamber’s plan. “I thought we voted in November to no longer have Harry Reid leading the Senate,” freshman U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, a Monroe Republican, said of the Senate Democratic leader who led the filibuster.

“It appears that has not taken place yet,” Hice said. “In my mind, it is time for Republicans to lead and deal with the issue of the unconstitution- al power grab by the president.”

When asked whether he could support a DHS spending bill without immigration conditions, Hice replied: “No. The clean bill is unconstitutional.”

Several Georgia Republicans said they would wait to see what the Senate manages to send over, but they wanted assurances on immigration to go along with any DHS funding. And they say the public is behind them in taking a stand.

“When you look at the polling numbers, this thing is off the charts: People do not want their jobs being given to illegals coming into the nation,” said U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a freshman Republican from Cassville.

“You look at the job growth as stagnant. People are underemployed. People are very upset about this,” he said. “We right now are the only hope of doing anything about it, so you don’t want to give away all your leverage.”

One option would be to pass a short-term bill that keeps DHS going for a few weeks or months as the federal court case on Obama’s immigration actions plays out. Obama’s most recent action has been blocked by a judge in Texas, but the administration is asking for a stay.

Asked Tuesday about a short-term DHS bill while the court case plays out, Perdue said: “I would hope we could do that, frankly. That appears to me the professional way to approach it and get past this deadline.”

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, who has a major DHS facility in his district, said he is still deciding whether he would support a short-term option.

“I want to see how it’s going to play out,” Carter said. “I’m not going to tip my hand and let (Obama) go ahead and do this. I am adamant about stopping what he’s trying to do.”

Georgia’s House Democrats continue to press for a clean bill — and they attack Republicans for considering anything else.

“We have enough legitimate issues to be worried about in terms of homeland security as opposed to whether or not we’re actually going to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” said U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Lithonia Democrat. “It’s mind-boggling.”

If there’s no deal by midnight Friday, Transportation Security Administration and Bor- der Patrol agents, as well as other essential personnel, would stay on the job without pay. But 5,500 workers — about 10 percent of the agency — would go on furlough. Programs such as E-Veri- fy, which certifies the immigration status of companies’ new hires, and security grants to local law enforcement would be put on hold.

U.S. Rep. David Scott, an Atlanta Democrat who represents much of the area around HartsfieldJackson International Airport, said when he walked through security recently, an agent called out: “You going to keep our paychecks coming, congressman?” Scott replied, “Yes, we are.” That’s no guarantee. “This is just terrible,” Scott said. “It’s one of the reasons why the public just can’t get what’s going on here.”