WASHINGTON — The fourth time wasn’t the charm for Republicans.
On Monday, Senate Democrats again blocked House-passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security on the condition that President Barack Obama reverses his executive actions on immigration. They had filibustered the same bill three times in three consecutive days earlier this month.
The vote was 47 in favor, 46 against, short of the 60 needed to defeat a filibuster.
Anxieties are growing on Capitol Hill, with less than five left before DHS faces a partial shutdown on Friday and no clear path to avoiding it.
“I’m very disappointed,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said, “at the political ploy used by congressional Republican leadership to force a shutdown of Homeland Security.”
The next steps are unclear. Democrats remain unified against any DHS bill that stops Obama’s immigration actions, while Republican leaders have shown no signs of backing off their demands.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called the vote Monday the “first opportunity for Democrats to show where they stand after a federal judge preliminarily enjoined the Administration from moving ahead with actions President Obama himself referred to as ‘ignoring the law.’”
After the vote, McConnell put standalone legislation on the calendar to overturn Obama’s immigration actions, outside the DHS funding process. He said he prefers the House bill, but that his alternative offers “another option we can turn to” if Democrats keep filibustering.
This article was updated to include Sen. McConnell’s remarks after the vote.
Is it talk like a pirate day? Because one-eyed Harry Reid is giving these scurvy hostage takers exactly what they deserve. Take that ye dirty dogs!
Oh no! Terrorists are coming across our borders, and they’re going to get us ( or so I’ve been told).
Whatever will we do If the DHS loses funding?
Don’t republicans care about our safety? I need to stock up on duct tape and whatever else it is we need. Oh, yeah.
Moar guns.
Harry Reid is doing the right thing. If the Dems followed the GOP playbook they would not only filibuster to get an immigration free bill they would demand concessions such as an increase in the minimum wage before allowing the bill to get through.
Seriously though the filibuster needs to die. The GOP proved that you can filibuster everything effectively disabling congress and the electorate will only blame the majority party. Why would any minority party ever agree to pass legislation again? Vote to end debate and your party will blame you, filibuster and America will hate the other guy. Sooner or later the filibuster needs to die.
This is so beautiful. I love the smell of republican desperation in the morning.
Keep up the good work Democrats!
The filibuster is just fine. It stops the radicals on both sides. But understand the repubs have the market cornered on radicals.