Nancy Pelosi agrees to a vote on Senate border bill in blow to House progressives
In a bitter blow to the progressive factions of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) agreed on Thursday to allow a vote on the Senate's President Trump-approved $4.5 billion border funding bill with no restrictions. The New York Times characterized the development as "a striking display of disarray and an unusual setback for Ms. Pelosi."
On Wednesday, the Senate had voted 84-8 to approve the emergency funding legislation for the U.S.-Mexico border, with $2.88 billion set aside for the Office of Refugee Resettlement and other funding funneled to the Defense Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The House's version of the bill did not include the funding for the DoD or ICE, and progressives had sought specific amendments that would have increased protections for migrant children.
Vice President Mike Pence reportedly privately assured Pelosi that the Trump administration "would voluntarily abide by some of the [provisions] she had sought, including notifying lawmakers within 24 hours after the death of a migrant child in government custody, and placing a 90-day time limit on children spending time in temporary intake facilities," a person familiar with the negotiations told the Times.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Around two dozen moderate Democrats had joined with Republicans and driven Pelosi to fold. Nevertheless, the White House heavily criticized Democrats for the delay in approving the funding, Bloomberg reports, with the administration saying in a statement that it had "sent its request for emergency funding eight weeks ago, but there was no action."
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
