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Spotlight: With Senate Republicans caving in on DHS funding bill, Democrats awaits "full surrender"

Xinhua, February 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Heid made it clear Tuesday that he wanted a "full surrender" from Republicans in both chambers, after what is effectively a concession on the Republican side in a month-long bipartisan fight over a bill that threatens to shut down the Homeland Security Department (DHS) within days.

"I had a pleasant meeting with Senator McConnell this morning. He has announced to his caucus that he is willing to have an up or down vote on DHS full funding," Heid said after a weekly Democratic policy luncheon.

The Senate was stuck at a gridlock on a House-passed funding bill for the DHS, in which House Republicans inserted measures to roll back Obama's immigration policies unveiled in 2014.

Democratic Senators have so far blocked the debates of the bill on the Senate floor four times in the past three weeks by filibusters.

As a major change of course for fellow Senate Republicans, Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell on Monday night introduced a new stand-alone bill which targeted only Obama's controversial immigration initiatives and left funding the DHS aside. However, McConnell did not mention the sequence of the voting on the funding bill and the new anti-immigration bill.

"The problem is, everybody, (that) I'm waiting to hear from the Speaker," said Heid, demanding that the Republican-led House also pass a stand-alone funding bill.

Heid pointedly added that given the bicameral nature of the Congress, Democrats would not be tricked simply because McConnell has passed the ball over to the House Speaker John Boehner, the sponsor of the anti-immigration provisions in the first place.

"He's indicated to me through his staff that he'll be in touch sometime soon. And until that time comes, I think we're where we were," said Heid, stopping short of announcing that Senate Democrats would keep on blocking McConnell's new stand-alone anti-immigration bill by filibusters.

Standing beside Heid, Chairman of Democratic Policy and Communications Center Senator Charles Schumer did not shy away from putting pressure on the top U.S. lawmaker.

"Where's Speaker Boehner? Is he willing to fully fund Homeland Security? Or will he stick to a position (that says) 'Oh no, we're going to hold Homeland Security hostage unless we get our way on immigration,'" said Schumer, stressing that Boehner's assurance of a clean funding bill for the DHS must go first before any debates on Obama's 2014 immigration policies.

"Without Speaker Boehner saying that he will fully fund Homeland Security, Senator McConnell's offer does not get the department funded," he added.

House Speaker Boehner is expected to discuss path forward on Wednesday with House Republicans.

Although a recent federal court injunction against Obama's immigration executive actions have made a growing number of Senate Republicans support the passing of a clean DHS funding bill, conservative Republicans were encouraged to stay on their fight to address what they see as a power overreach by Obama in his last year's move to launch immigration policies that would shield as many as 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation. Endi