Stopgap bill in US Congress keeps Homeland Security Department open, for now
The US Congress passed a one-week bill to avert a partial shutdown of the Homeland Security Department, as leaders in both political parties quelled a revolt by House conservatives furious that the measure left President Barack Obama's immigration policy intact.
The US Congress passed a one-week bill to avert a partial shutdown of the Homeland Security Department, as leaders in both political parties quelled a revolt by House conservatives furious that the measure left President Barack Obama's immigration policy intact.
The final vote late on Friday at the end of a long day was a bipartisan 357-60 in the House of Representatives, a little more than an hour after the Senate cleared the measure without so much as a roll call.
That sent the legislation to the White House for Obama's signature, which the president provided just a few minutes before midnight, capping a day of bruising political battles and rhetoric.
Spending for the department had been held hostage in a battle over Obama's recent executive actions sparing millions of illegal immigrants from deportation.
Republicans won full control of Congress in November's midterm elections.
The stunning House defeat of a three-week spending bill exposed Speaker John Boehner's weakness in the face of rebellious conservatives. It also demonstrated anew his need to rely on Democratic help at key moments, as the minority party's agreement to the one-week spending bill helped the speaker get it over the finish line with only hours to spare before a threatened agency shutdown.
"You have made a mess," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said at one point to Republicans, as the midnight deadline neared for a partial shutdown of an agency with major anti-terrorism responsibilities. Even some Republicans agreed.
"There are terrorist attacks all over world and we're talking about closing down Homeland Security. This is like living in world of crazy people," tweeted congressman Peter King, a former chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.
Hours after conservatives joined with Democrats to vote down the three-week funding measure, 224-203, the Senate presented a one-week alternative to keep open the agency.
Pelosi urged her rank and file to support the short-term measure, saying it would lead to passage next week of a bill to fund the agency through the September 30 end of the budget year without immigration add-ons. Aides to Boehner promptly said there had been no such promise made.
