Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is not buckling to Republican pressure.
If congressional Republicans have been banking on Democrats caving to avert a Department of Homeland Security shutdown, they should start to reassess right now. The House bill seeking to undo President Obama's executive order on immigration has already failed three times in the Senate, and Democrats say that a federal judge's
temporary block of Obama's immigration order
doesn't change things, Greg Sargent reports:
“This doesn’t change anything,” one Senate Democratic leadership aide tells me. “Everyone knew this judge would rule this way, and initial calls reveal no wobbliness whatsoever.” This aide adds that the GOP strategy of calling for yet another vote on this next week — after forcing three previous votes on it — is only further “entrenching our members.”
A second Democratic leadership aide tells me that it would be folly for Democrats to change their strategy now, given that it’s perfectly possible the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals could reverse the injunction. This aide also notes that even moderate Democrats are dug in against the tactic Republicans are using — staging a shutdown fight to force a policy change — a stance that is unlikely to be altered by the lower court ruling.
Indeed, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), two of the more conservative Senate Democrats whose votes Republicans hope to swing on this and other issues, say
they won't support the House bill.
Standing against Republican shutdown politics isn't exactly an extreme goal for Democrats, but it's still good to see them holding the line. Especially since Republicans will (rightly) take the blame for a DHS shutdown.