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Final Update:
After hours, a day, a week of shameful posturing and attempting to hold funding for the critical Department of Homeland Security hostage to get their way on immigration, a Republican controlled Congress finally and reluctantly came to its senses — albeit temporarily.
Congress passed a one-week stopgap funding measure late Friday to avert a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security at midnight, sending the bill on to President Obama for his expected signature.
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The last-minute deal came together after a whirlwind day of negotiations in which House Republicans suffered a humiliating defeat when their 20-day funding bill was rejected. The arrangement is expected to prolong talks about longer-term DHS funding until at least early next week.
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After the House bill went down, the Senate sought to pull DHS back from the brink by swiftly passing the one-week bill. The House followed suit shortly thereafter.
Read more here
Update:
The Senate on Friday evening passed a one-week continuing resolution to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded. The measure passed by a voice vote.
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The move came after the Republican leadership in the House had failed in its bid to pass a three-week continuing resolution. The House proposal failed by a vote of 203-224.
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The Senate’s later move, amid a mood of deepening crisis at the Capitol, puts the ball back into the court of the House of Representatives. Absent new legislation, the Department of Homeland Security will shut down at midnight.
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Some Republicans believed that they could roll back President Obama’s executive actions on immigration reform by threatening a DHS shutdown. Others in the party believed that was a high-risk strategy that could easily become a political defeat for the GOP.
Read more here.
Original Post:
First, some breaking news. ABC has just reported, “Senate Passes Bill to Ensure Full Funding for Homeland Security for 1 Week”
Now back to your Groundhog Day news:
It is only four hours until funding runs out for the Department of Homeland Security, and they — you know who — are at it again.
The headlines say it all:
Homeland Security Department funding fight heads down to the wire after House GOP bid fails
Dysfunctional House Fails to Pass Temporary Homeland Security Funding – See more here.
Congress Fails to Pass Homeland Security Funding Bill; Agency To “Shut Down” At Midnight February 27
The Boston Globe: Bill to fund Homeland Security fails as deadline looms
Congress goes to brink on Homeland Security shutdown debate.
House rejects Homeland Security funding: The Republican-controlled House unexpectedly rejected short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security on Friday, increasing the prospect of a partial shutdown at midnight.
ABC News: Congress Risks Department of Homeland Security Partial Shutdown Hours Before Funding Expires
House fails to pass funding bill, homeland security faces shutdown
The Wall Street Journal: Homeland Security Funding Bill Fails in House
Even The Times of India: Partial shutdown? US house rejects Homeland Security funding
Stay tuned.
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