Once again, House Republicans pulled a bill that they couldn't agree on—this time on border security,
reports Jamie Dupree.
With looming questions about internal support for a limited border security bill amongst House Republicans, GOP leaders bumped the measure from this week’s legislative schedule in the U.S. House, and did not immediately give lawmakers an idea as to when it might be revived.
Thank goodness for Mother Nature and the giant storm she's whipped up for the East Coast so the GOP leadership could save a shred of dignity. Prior to Monday's news, Homeland Security Chair, Texas Rep. Mike McCaul,
had been touting it as the "toughest border security bill ever" and the "gateway" to their long talk/slow walk on passing piecemeal legislation that addresses immigration.
Here's the problem, Democrats won't vote for it because Homeland Security Sec. Jeh Johnson has labeled it "extreme to the point of being unworkable." Naturally, conservative Republicans won't vote for it because it's not extreme enough. They say it does nothing to curb President Obama from releasing immigrants into the country and giving them benefits.
“It does not cut off access to federal welfare, when it should,” argued Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL). “It does not include any work site enforcement, when it should.”
“In effect, it does nothing to reduce the incentives for illegal aliens to come to America,” Brooks added to reporters, as he rattled off a list of grievances after a closed door GOP meeting last week.
But the real objection seems to be that some Republicans view the bill as a surreptitious attempt to find a way to fund the Department of Homeland Security before its funding runs out at the end of February. That would be just a horrible turn of events if Republicans did something as responsible as funding DHS.
Fortunately for us all, they couldn't agree on the fact that a can of Campbell's Soup is indeed a can of Campbell's Soup. Such a resolution would clearly be a deceptive Warholian attempt to undermine conservative principles.