Passage of the bill continues the House GOP’s strategy of funding the government one part at a time. Democrats oppose this plan, but Republicans expect to continue trying through this weekend and beyond.
Republicans said the Senate should drop its opposition and take up the bill immediately to shore up U.S. border enforcement efforts.
{mosads}”Right now at this very moment, there are brave men and women patrolling our border, manning our ports of entry, and conducting border enforcement, drug interdiction and investigative missions, but they’re not being paid,” said Rep. John Carter (R-Texas).
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) added the bill would fund critical pieces of the Department of Homeland Security at a rate of $18.8 billion per year, through mid-December.
“This includes funding for Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard, citizenship and immigration services, and the Office of Biometric Identity Management,” he said. “These are functions of the federal government that are critical to our safety and well-being. They should not have to suffer the effects of this shutdown.”
But most Democrats were having none of it and again accused Republicans of picking out issues one day at a time instead of funding all critical areas of the government.
“Have we had enough yet?” asked Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), accusing the GOP of playing “procedural games” in the House. “Today, the majority has decided that the government function they want to give political cover to is border security.”
With the border security bill, the House has passed 13 narrow appropriations bills. The other 12 would fund the Washington, D.C., government, National Park Service, veterans services, the National Institutes of Health, National Guard, Women Infants and Children nutrition program, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Head Start and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The House also has passed resolutions ensuring federal workers are paid on time if they’re working during the shutdown and ensuring death benefits for killed soldiers. The Senate passed the latter bill earlier today, the first time the Senate has accepted any of these bills.
Members have passed other bills that some are counting toward the GOP effort to fund the government, including one passed on Sept. 30 ensuring continuing pay for members of the military.