After the Senate sent the House a clean bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security today, the House only had one job: Pass it.
They would have passed it, too, if John Boehner had actually brought it to the floor. Instead, he brought a 3-week extension bill to a vote, and that vote failed spectacularly. How's Steve Scalise working out in his new role, Mr. Speaker?
Not well, apparently. TPM:
In a huge embarrassment for Republican leaders, the GOP House voted down their bill Friday to avert a Homeland Security shutdown hours before the deadline.
The House GOP plan was to pass a three-week stopgap bill to delay the immigration fight with President Barack Obama until March 19.
But even that failed to pass, losing conservatives who considered it too much of a surrender as well as Democrats who demanded a yearlong DHS funding bill.
The vote was 203-224. Fifty-two Republicans voted against it, while 12 Democrats voted for it.
The vote was held open for long after time technically expired, in the hope that members would switch their votes and pull together the number needed for passage. Numerous lawmakers yelled for "regular order" on the House floor, calling for the vote to end.
After it was called, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) advised members that further votes may happen on Friday or the weekend.
There's only one vote necessary: A vote on the clean Senate bill fully funding the DHS for the entire year. If a shutdown happens now, it's because Boehner catered to conservative hissy fits instead of doing the responsible thing.
Update: Majority Leader McConnell brought a one-week continuing resolution to the Senate, which was approved by voice vote and sent to the House. Assuming they can get it passed, we can play out this whole thing again next week! Yay democracy.
