The Democratic-controlled House is sending President Donald Trump a bipartisan $4.6 billion Senate-drafted measure to care for migrant refugees detained at the southern border.
The bill passed on a bipartisan vote that capped a Washington skirmish in which die-hard House liberals came out on the losing end in a battle with the White House, the GOP-held Senate, and Democratic moderates.
The measure would ease a cash crunch at federal agencies that care for migrants who have flocked over the border in huge numbers seeking asylum.
U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, both supported the bill. They both represent parts of Bloomington-Normal.
“For months, President Trump and Republicans in Congress highlighted the humanitarian crisis at the southern border and the need for more resources to address it,” LaHood said in a statement. “After much delay and highly politicized rhetoric, I’m glad that House Democrats finally came to the table to work with Republicans to address this crisis. Yesterday, I called for a bipartisan effort to address the issues at our southern border and I am pleased that bipartisanship prevailed in the end to provide the necessary humanitarian aid.”
Before the vote, Davis spoke in favor of it.
"The Senate did what the American people want us to do: they worked in a bipartisan way to pass a bill to deal with the crisis at the border," Davis tweeted. "I just asked Speaker Pelosi to immediately put this bill on the floor so we can solve this problem now."
The Senate did what the American people want us to do: they worked in a bipartisan way to pass a bill to deal with the crisis at the border. I just asked Speaker Pelosi to immediately put this bill on the floor so we can solve this problem now. pic.twitter.com/BpXE0S2WKo
— US Rep Rodney Davis (@RodneyDavis) June 27, 2019
'Gravely Disappointed' Pelosi
Final action came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi abandoned a plan to require more stringent care requirements for detained migrant families and children, many of whom have been held in harsh, overcrowded conditions. Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues Thursday that she's "gravely disappointed" in the Senate. But she said House Democrats "want to find a path to improve the conditions" at the southern border for children and families.
The White House and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, held fast against Pelosi's plan, claiming it was unworkable.
Federal money is set to run out in days.
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