McConnell blocks bill to temporarily reopen DHS
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) tried to take up the House bill, which would fund the department through Feb. 8.
McConnell has said for weeks that he won’t take up the House legislation, arguing it would be a “show” vote because President Trump won’t sign the bill.
Instead, the GOP leader is expected to hold a procedural vote Thursday that would trade $5.7 billion for wall funding in exchange for a three-year extension of legal protections for some immigrants.
“The opportunity to end all this is staring us right in the face. That’s why we’ll vote on this legislation on the Senate floor this week. All that needs to happen is for our Democratic colleagues to agree that it’s time to put the country ahead of politics, take yes for an answer and vote to put this standoff behind us,” McConnell said from the Senate floor earlier on Tuesday.
But the president’s proposal is not expected to get the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate, much less be approved by the House where Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has called it a “non-starter.”
Democrats are trying to build pressure on the Senate GOP leader, who has stuck closely to the president in the funding fight.
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