The Republican-led Senate voted Monday — for the fourth time in as many weeks — to begin debate on a stalled funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which faces a Friday deadline.
But like the three votes before it, Senate Democrats blocked taking up the bill that passed the GOP-controlled House because it contains what they consider poison pills — provisions that would block President Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration.
On a measure that needed 60 vote to succeed, it failed with 47 voting in support to 46 against.
With only four days before DHS funding ends — when large parts of the agency will be shuttered or employees will be forced to work without pay — the two sides are at a stalemate and there are no known serious negotiations involving congressional leaders or the White House to bridge differences.
“It’s time to allow this Homeland Security funding legislation to come to the floor,” a visibly frustrated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said before the vote. “Democrats say they want to amend DHS funding legislation. But then they keep voting to block their own amendments. It just doesn’t’ make any sense.”
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid pointed to a handful of Republicans who have said Congress should pass a funding bill that is clean of the immigration provisions.
“I don’t understand what my Republican friends are trying to do,” Reid said speaking about Republicans who want to include the immigration language. “Their plan is destined to fail.”
“We passed a bill that fully funds the department,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in an interview on CNN. “We’ll probably see something come from the Senate this week and we’ll have to make some tough choices.”
While it wasn’t clear what McCaul expects back from the Senate — since the chamber can’t even take up a bill right now — the chairman warned that with the recent surge in deadly terrorist attacks abroad, “It would be irresponsible for lawmakers and policy-makers to shut down his national security agency at this grave time.”
Democrats hoped a recent ruling from a federal judge in Texas blocking, at least temporarily, implementation of the President’s most recent immigration orders, would give Republicans a reason to fund the department while the issue plays out in court. But there was little evidence GOP lawmakers would do so.
In fact, Republicans continued to try to pressure centrist Democrats, some who have not fully embraced the President’s immigration orders, to change their minds and vote to block Obama from carrying them out.
House Republicans from Virginia wrote a letter to the state’s two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, urging them to approve the House bill.
“On behalf of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia, we urge you to reconsider your votes to protect President Obama’s unlawful executive action,” the eight lawmakers wrote. “We regard the President’s recent action as an affront on our power as legislators, and, by extension, the representation promised to our constituents by our founding fathers.”
But there were no signs any of the Democrats were persuaded.
An aide to Warner said the senator supports passing a bill without immigration provisions included.
“Let’s pass funding for Homeland Security today to show unity against terrorists,” one of the targeted Democrats, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri tweeted. “Then R’s can bring up immigration for vote immediately after.”
In a letter to employees, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the department was making preparations “in the unlikely and unfortunate event that Congress does not fund DHS before Friday night a shutdown of this department occurs.”
“Have faith that his difficult and unnecessary situation will be resolved,” Johnson said.
