Republican Senators Are Freaking Out Because A Bill From Boehner’s House Might Shut Down The Government

A handful of key Republican Senators are side-eying the plan House Republicans put forth on Friday in yet another effort to kill President Obama’s immigration executive actions. They are worried that the House Republicans’ defunding action may lead to a shutdown of government — including the Department of Homeland Security, according to a report by Politico.

“I think the defunding action leads us to a potential government shutdown scenario, which is a self-inflicted political wound for Republicans,” Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) told Politico.

More from Politico:

Moderate Senate Democrats and a handful of GOP senators are balking at a House plan that would block Obama’s new policy of deferring deportations for millions of undocumented immigrants, along with the administration’s earlier protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally at a young age. While those senators oppose the president’s unilateral moves on immigration, they are wary of linking the issue with a must-pass bill to fund domestic security programs, worried that a stalemate could shut down the Department of Homeland Security.

On Friday, House Republicans took their revenge against the President by attacking Obama’s executive actions on immigration reform. The House is seeking to dismantle not just the recent executive order, but Obama’s other actions on immigration actions for undocumented workers, including his 2012 actions for DREAMers. Their actions would also impact which undocumented workers would be targeted for deportation.

Previously, Republicans were given the bad news that they couldn’t just defund the President’s actions, so they found a new way throw a tantrum; the bill includes an amendment that will keep any money, including fees, from being used to fund the President’s executive actions on immigration. Any of his actions on immigration. Any and all of ’em, Charlie.

A pause while sane people realize what this could mean for future presidents.

This action is not going over well in the Senate, where most are not crazy enough to want their fingerprints on deporting undocumented workers who thought they were in the clear due to President Obama’s actions. Republican Sen. Dean Heller told Politico, “I’m a little leery about it. I just want to make sure those individuals that are affected by that legislation are treated respectfully. I just want to be very, very careful that we do it in the right manner, and we don’t do it in a way that is offensive.”

If the Senate doesn’t take action on the House bill, the Department of Homeland Security will be unfunded as of February 27th. This is the exact scenario that Republican leadership promised the public would NOT happen if Republicans were given control of both chambers.

… But we are back at chaos and crisis, a GOP corner that is becoming par for the course.

Drew Hammill, spokesman for Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, wasn’t impressed, “Rather than building upon the President’s bold move to keep families together, House Republicans have decided to threaten a partial government shutdown and play politics with the security of our homeland by appeasing the anti-immigrant and extreme right-wing of their Party. As the risk of terrorism rises, this perilous Republican tactic sends the worst possible message at a very dangerous time.”

Republicans are still acting like petulant children in the House and even with the Senate, they still can’t seem to put forth bills that can go somewhere. Now they can’t blame Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) anymore. But reality won’t stop them from trying.

Sarah Jones

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