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Lucylastic -> RE: Congressional Dysfunction 101 (7/31/2014 7:18:46 PM)
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POLITICS More: Immigration Reform
The House GOP Border Plan Just Blew Up In Its Face
House Republican leadership abruptly postponed and then ultimately pulled a vote on its plan to deal with the crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, after a conservative revolt left leadership short of the votes needed to pass the bill.
Soon after House leaders pulled the bill, however, a 3 p.m. ET Republican conference meeting was scheduled in an apparent attempt to revive the bill. Members were advised that additional votes were still possible.
The original pulling of the bill served as a remarkable setback for House Speaker John Boehner and the incoming House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who had whipped support for the border bill.
This week, House conservatives revolted against the Republican-led border plan, which provides about $659 million in emergency spending for the border crisis through the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.
The Republican dissent was led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the conservative freshman firebrand who has miffed House leadership before by meddling in the House's affairs (most notably, last year, ahead of the government shutdown).
Cruz has led a wing of conservatives who say any border legislation should include a provision to stop the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Many of the immigrants who have been part of the recent influx coming over the border have been unaccompanied minors, but they are not eligible for the DACA program.
The conservative ire at the plan led Republican leaders to schedule two votes — one on the border bill and another on legislation that would bar President Barack Obama from delaying the deportation of young, undocumented immigrants. However, shortly after announcing the dual votes, the GOP leadership announced they were both cancelled. This indicates the conservative wing was not satisfied with the legislation to speed the deportation of young immigrants being voted on separately.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/house-gop-border-plan-vote-2014-7#ixzz396RO3Gc2
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