Homeland Security shutdown: What we know today
Why might the Department of Homeland Security shut down?
One word: Immigration. The Senate has been in a stalemate because of immigration amendments the House attached to the bill last month related to the executive orders issued by President Obama that would defer deportations for millions of migrants who are now in the United States illegally. If the Senate and House can't agree on a bill, the Department of Homeland Security runs out of money at midnight Friday.
These amendments on the bill — why are they so divisive?
Immigration amendments Republicans added to the DHS funding bill would bar any federal funds from being used to carry out Obama's executive orders to protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to work in the USA. The amendments also would end a current Obama administration program — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — that gives temporary legal status and work permits to undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Meanwhile, the president's actions were temporarily put on hold earlier this month after a federal judge in Texas issued an injunction. The administration has sought to have that decision lifted.
What's this plan Mitch McConnell is pitching?
The Senate majority leader is allowing a vote on a homeland security funding bill without any immigration provisions attached. Later, a separate vote would be held to allow senators to go on record in support or opposition to the president's executive actions on immigration. McConnell hoped to have a vote Thursday on a clean bill, but a handful of conservatives have kept him from getting the unanimous consent needed to move to final passage. Consequently, senators may have to wait until Sunday for a final vote, according to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
What about the House?
House Republicans have objected so far to a "clean" funding bill, but it's really the only DHS legislation that can overcome a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. On Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner would not indicate how the House would respond to the Senate's approach."We're waiting to see what the Senate can or can't do," the speaker said at a press conference. "Then we'll decide how to proceed."
McConnell has repeatedly vowed that there would be no more government shutdowns on his watch. Boehner has been less adamant about a shutdown — a nod to the pressures he faces from conservatives who believe the party should fight at all costs to block Obama's immigration actions. House Democrats say they are poised to help advance the bill if Boehner will override his party's immigration hardliners to reach a compromise.
Are other government departments at risk of shutting down if this bill doesn't pass?
No, this bill is specifically for funding the Department of Homeland Security.
What happens if Congress doesn't agree by the Friday deadline?
About 30,000 DHS employees — mostly office workers — will be furloughed. But more than 80% of the department's 240,000 employees will still go to work because their jobs are deemed essential to the nation's safety. Those workers, however, will not get paid.
What is included in the Department of Homeland Security?
The Coast Guard, the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Contributing: Susan Davis, Erin Kelly, Emily Brown and Cara Richardson, Paste BN