House Republicans are trying to pass legislation responding to the wave of child immigrants crossing the border. A battle yesterday between Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and a group of Tea Party congressional leaders caused the $659 million measure to be pulled from the schedule Thursday afternoon.
Today there are two separate bills to address the border crisis and as of now it is not clear which one – if any – will make it to the floor for a vote. Congress is set to adjourn for five weeks summer vacation today and if no bill is brought to the floor then the border issue could become a real problem not only for those involved battling the problem.
But also to those in Congress who fail to pass a bill needed to help resolve or at least ease tension on the issue.
According to a report this morning in POLITICO: The new legislation — described to GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting in the Capitol — uses new language penned by Texas Rep. John Carter and Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt to change a 2008 trafficking law that made it harder to deport children from countries other than Canada and Mexico. The bill is more costly than than the legislation that had to be yanked from the floor Thursday.
The latest version sends $35 million to the governors to pay for their National Guards, sending the price tag to $694 million — a far cry from the nearly $4 billion President Barack Obama requested. It is fully offset by spending cuts, GOP sources said. FOR THE LASTEST ON THE PROGRESS ON THE BILLS CLICK HERE
