Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:43 pm
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had a blunt message for Speaker of the House John Boehner. Sanders told Boehner to stop making excuses and do his job.
In a statement, Sen. Sanders said:
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The Senate said in a clear, bipartisan way that the Department of Homeland Security should not be shut down and that we must remain vigilant against terrorist threats. The ball is now in the court of Speaker Boehner and his Republican House. Ninety-eight senators, including 54 Republicans, voted for a clean bill to fund the department. Speaker Boehner has run out of excuses. The House must pass a bill and get it to the president immediately.
According to National Journal, Democrats are worried that McConnell may stab them in the back, “The real concern among Democrats is that Sen. Ted Cruz or Jeff Sessions or another immigration hard-liner will force McConnell to stab them in the back. But Cruz said Wednesday that Democrats can’t blame him for their trepidations; he won’t delay passage of the bill.”
If Senate Republicans hold up their end of the bargain, the fate of Homeland Security will be up to John Boehner. The reality is that by cutting a deal with Democrats, Mitch McConnell got even with Boehner. For weeks, John Boehner has been throwing Mitch McConnell under the bus. Boehner has made it clear that McConnell is on his own.
Sen. Sanders’s statement perfectly stated the situation. The Senate united in a bipartisan agreement on a clean Homeland Security funding bill. The blame for the Homeland Security funding fiasco is squarely on the shoulders of the House Republicans. If recent history is a guide, Boehner will eventually cave and bring the Senate bill to the House floor for a vote. Boehner will be able to cobble enough votes together in the House leadership to pass the bill with the support of Nancy Pelosi and her Democrats.
The conservative bloggers and outside groups will be outraged, as President Obama and his united Democratic Party will triumph over the fractured and dysfunctional Republicans.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
