Thread: Bill to undo Obama immigration actions, fund DHS fails in Senate test vote

ACTION ALERT Senate blocks DHS funding bill for third straight day --- Your U.S. Senator(s) voted to block it!

Dear activist, For the third consecutive day, nearly every Democratic U.S. Senator has voted against motions to bring H.R. 240, the House-passed DHS funding bill, to the floor for debate. These Senators are choosing to protect Pres. Obama's unconstitutional executive amnesties over funding the Department of Homeland Security. Three times now, these Senators have shown they would rather grant amnesty and work permits to millions of illegal aliens than enforce the law and help millions of Americans get back work. Please send a fax to your Democratic U.S. Senator(s) and tell them that their repeated votes against bringing H.R. 240 to the floor are simply beyond reproach and endanger the jobs, wellbeing, and livelihoods of millions of Americans.

As long as the Democrats are voting NO on cloture

the Bill can't more to an up or down vote,

so YES they control the bill.

Democrats block effort to derail immigration order

Erin Kelly, USA TODAY5:03 p.m. EST February 3, 2015

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats blocked passage Tuesday of a Homeland Security spending bill that would have derailed President Obama's order to protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Senators voted 51-48 on a procedural motion to bring the bill to the Senate floor, falling short of the 60 votes needed.

Republican Dean Heller of Nevada joined with unanimous Democrats and independents to block the bill.

Unless a compromise on a new bill can be reached by the end of the month, funding for the Department of Homeland Security will expire and the agency will face a partial shutdown.

It's not clear what Republican leaders in the House and Senate will do now.

One option being discussed is to pass another short-term funding extension to prevent the looming DHS shutdown and postpone the showdown over immigration policy.

House Republican leaders are moving toward taking other action that might placate immigration hard-liners in the GOP caucus while allowing the House to pass a DHS funding bill without any immigration amendments attached.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told Republicans last week that he was taking the first steps toward suing the president to challenge the constitutionality of his immigration actions.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, has introduced a border security bill that requires federal officials to gain "operational control" of the border. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., is working on immigration enforcement bills, including one to require employers to use the E-Verify electronic verification system to ensure their employees are eligible to work legally in the U.S.

"In the coming weeks, this committee will hold hearings and address legislation that deals with the problem of the administration's failure to enforce our immigration laws," Goodlatte said at a committee hearing Tuesday. "We will not only provide the administration with the tools it needs; we will also act to ensure that the president cannot unilaterally shut down immigration enforcement in this country."

Tuesday's Senate battle over the $40 billion funding bill focused on House-passed amendments that would cut off funding for Obama's latest immigration order and end his 2012 program that provided protection from deportation and work permits for undocumented immigrants brought to the USA as children.

USA TODAYDemocrats move to block GOP on immigration

USA TODAYHouse votes to block Obama's immigration action

Republicans say Obama overstepped his authority in November when he announced he would effectively give temporary legal status to some undocumented parents of U.S. citizens. The action would allow them to get work permits and someday receive Social Security and Medicare benefits if they work long enough and pay into the Social Security system.
The president expanded his 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program has helped about 600,000 young immigrants — who call themselves "DREAMers" — by allowing them to stay in the country for at least two years and obtain work permits.
"At its core, this debate is about whether Democrats think presidents of either party should have the power to simply do what they want," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday as he urged senators to pass the bill. "And while this is about more than just President Obama, it's also true that President Obama has repeatedly reached beyond his authority."
Obama said he has the legal authority to take executive action. He said he did so only after the House failed to take up a major immigration bill last year. The Senate passed a bipartisan overhaul of the immigration system in the last Congress.

Democratic senators said Republicans are willing to risk the nation's security to satisfy their right wing.
"While ISIS is declaring they're determined to 'reach America,' Republicans are playing politics with our national security," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Tuesday that the department cannot do its job if a funding bill is not approved by Congress. The department is currently operating under a temporary resolution passed by Congress late last year that funds DHS at 2014 levels through the end of this month.
Johnson said the agency, as long as it is operating under the temporary budget, cannot give federal grants to states, local governments and tribes to buy new communications equipment for police, improve campus security at colleges and universities, upgrade oxygen masks for firefighters or pay for police dogs to help detect explosives.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images)


"The Department of Homeland Security contains numerous agencies that every single day are keeping the American people safe," Obama said Tuesday.
"They're our front lines at our borders, at our airports, along our coasts. And they need certainty in order to do their jobs."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...rder/22796301/

GOP fails once again to dismantle Obama’s immigration actions

02/05/15 01:09 PM—UPDATED 02/05/15 03:15 PM

By Amanda Sakuma

Three strikes and you’re out?

For the third time in as many days, the Senate voted to advance legislation to unravel President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. And for the third time, their efforts failed.

Senate Republicans fell short Thursday of the 60 votes needed to overcome a procedural hurdle to gut the immigration actions through a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Congressional Democrats successfully filibustered the legislation for the third time this week, the latest in a 52-47 vote.

The standoff is running down the clock before funding for the Department of Homeland Security is slated to run dry by Feb. 27. If Congress fails to reach a deal that the president approves by that deadline, administration officials warn critical operations under the agency’s umbrella would be in jeopardy, from immigration enforcement to airport security screening.

Obama reiterated Wednesday that he would not sign any bill that would effectively undo his own unilateral measures that, in sum, would benefit as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants.

“I want to be as clear as possible: I will veto any legislation that got to my desk that took away the chance of these young people who grew up here and who are prepared to contribute to this country that would prevent them from doing so,” Obama said Wednesday in the Oval Office. “I am confident that I can uphold that veto.”

The president invited six DREAMers – undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children – to the White House this week to steer focus toward a popular executive measure that allows young people to temporarily live and work in the United States without the fear of being deported. Nearly 600,000 DREAMers have taken advantage of the program since it began in 2012, and starting in two weeks, thousands more will likely qualify under the president’s latest round of executive actions.

Congressional Republicans have sought to block the executive measures, arguing that Obama has overstepped his authority. House Speaker John Boehner has already said he may sue the president over the unilateral actions. House Republicans took it a step further by tacking on a set of toxic amendments to the crucial DHS funding that would strip fees from being allocated to the executive actions and prevent DREAMers from renewing their applications under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Democrats are demanding for their counterparts in Congress to introduce a clean DHS spending bill that drops the poison amendments.

“There are only 23 days left until the Department of Homeland Security shuts down,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said at her weekly briefing Thursday, adding that Congress will be in session for only eight of those days. “We have to pass a clean homeland security bill, and we have to do it immediately.”

The Republican strategy to target the immigration actions through a bill to fund the nation’s domestic security interests has lawmakers playing with fire for a looming agency shutdown. Prominent Republicans even publicly criticized the majority leader’s decision to call for additional votes, a move that eats up time with a symbolic effort that is all but guaranteed to fail.

“Is that the definition of insanity? Voting on the same bill over and over again?” Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain said to reporters Wednesday.

Another Arizona Republican, Sen. Jeff Flake, said he did not feel the DHS funding bill was the proper venue to address qualms with the president’s executive actions, National Journalreported.

“My preference has always been to address Obama’s action with legislation,” Flake said. “I think we see the end of this movie.”

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/gop-fails...ration-actions

Originally Posted by Judy

. . . So as long as Republicans stand firm, there will be no amnesty funded by American Taxpayers. And this is the time for Republicans to stand firm, don't budge an inch, don't give them a dime. . .

You've got it backwards.

If this bill passes The Obama Amnesty is DE-FUNDED and DHS is funded.

As long as this bill is blocked by the Democrats The Obama Amnesty remains FUNDED and DHS is un-funded.

FROM THE FIRST ARTICLE.
"Republicans attached measures in the latest bill that would undo Obama's immigration actions, which aim to shield 4 million illegal immigrants from deportation."

“Is that the definition of insanity? Voting on the same bill over and over again?” Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain said to reporters Wednesday.

No, that is not the definition of insanity. The definition of insanity is amnesty for illegal aliens.

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

You've got it backwards.

If this bill passes The Obama Amnesty is DE-FUNDED and DHS is funded.

As long as this bill is blocked by the Democrats The Obama Amnesty remains FUNDED and DHS is un-funded.

FROM THE FIRST ARTICLE.
"Republicans attached measures in the latest bill that would undo Obama's immigration actions, which aim to shield 4 million illegal immigrants from deportation."

No, I don't.

Not a dime, Republicans, not a cent. Don't give an inch. You stand firm and let this whole Department which in my opinion consists of some of the most despicable useless agencies in our government, like FEMA, TSA and USCIS blow to the wind. Airlines should screen their own passengers, not TSA. States should work together to handle their own emergencies, not FEMA. The Coast Guard should be moved back to the Department of Transportation and Border Patrol should be moved back to the Department of Labor. States should handle all immigration activity that impacts their state starting with what foreign person can be admitted to the US to reside in their state. The State Department can handle processing tourist visas like they do now but be responsible for ensuring the visitor has left the country.

The democrats are voting against this bill because it would de-fund The Obama Amnesty, and they are instead demanding a clean bill to vote on. One that funds DHS and does NOT de-fund the Obama Amnesty.

The Republicans are voting YES because they want to de-fund the Obama Amnesty and fund DHS.

http://www.alipac.us/f12/dhs-shutdow...likely-317368/

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

The democrats are voting against this bill because it would de-fund The Obama Amnesty, and they are instead demanding a clean bill to vote on. One that funds DHS and does NOT de-fund the Obama Amnesty.

The Republicans are voting YES because they want to de-fund the Obama Amnesty and fund DHS.

http://www.alipac.us/f12/dhs-shutdow...likely-317368/

The Republicans are absolutely right and correct in their actions so far. Not a dime, Republicans, not a dime. Hold the line. Stand your ground. No compromises, No exceptions, No mercy. End this travesty once and for all.

Sen. Sessions Attacks Dems for Again Blocking DHS Funding Bill

Thursday, 05 Feb 2015 09:35 PM
By Todd Beamon

Sen. Jeff Sessions Thursday slammed Democrats for supporting President Barack Obama's amnesty orders, which will grant work permits to as many as five million illegals amid chronically high unemployment among Americans.

"They are protecting an illegal executive order that would give another five million work permits to illegal immigrants to take any job in America," the Alabama Republican said in testimony on the Senate floor.

He is the ranking GOP member on the Senate Budget Committee.

"Americans think we should make it harder for companies to hire illegal immigrants," Sessions added. "This unlawful amnesty allows illegal immigrants to compete for jobs in every industry, sector and occupation in the country."

Senate Democrats blocked for a third time on Thursday legislation that would finance the Department of Homeland Security while reversing Obama's unilateral actions.

The 52-47 vote fell eight short of the 60 needed to the bill to the Senate floor for debate and a full vote. Two other procedural votes earlier in the week yielded similar outcomes.

Homeland Security funding will lapse Feb. 27 without action. The legislation was passed last month by the House.

Democrats say they won't agree to the bill in the Senate unless it is stripped of all the immigration language. Republicans say such a bill won't pass the House.

Republican leaders in both chambers insist they will not allow the Homeland Security agency to go without funding at a time of global terror threats.

In his testimony, Sessions cited data released Thursday from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that, while one million Americans lost their jobs between 2007 and last year, two million immigrants gained jobs during the period.

According to the information:

• U.S. employment rolls increased by only one million people between 2007 and last year.
• In December 2007, 146.3 million U.S. residents were employed, both immigrants and American-born In December 2014, 147.2 million residents who had jobs — an increase of about 1 million.
• All of those new jobs went to foreign workers, according to the BLS data. In 2007, 123.5 million Americans had jobs, compared with 122.3 million in 2014 — a decline of about one million.
• For immigrants, 22.8 million were employed in 2007, versus 24.9 million in 2014 — a gain of about two million.
• From 2007 to 2014, two million foreign workers were added to the employment rolls, while about a million Americans were dropped — hence, the net increase of one million jobs.
• By comparison, nine million immigrants, legal and illegal, came to the United States between 2007 and last year. "Nine million immigrants were added during a time when we produced only one million jobs," Sessions said on the floor.
• In addition, the number of Americans ages 16 and over increased by about 11 million during the period. "Roughly, 11 million more American adults, but one million fewer American workers with jobs," he said.
• Thirteen million more Americans who were born in this country were not working last year than in 2000.

"The long-term trends are just as bad," Sessions said, noting news reports that the Obama administration has printed an additional 5.5 million work permits for illegals.

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