‘The Children Come First’: House Passes Senate’s Border Aid Package Despite Progressive Democrats’ Objections
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that in an effort to get the aid to the children at the border, she would give up her push to get the Senate to compromise on the Democrats' demands. The decision came after an hour-long phone call with Vice President Mike Pence, who agreed that lawmakers would be notified within 24 hours after the death of a child in custody and to a 90-day time limit on children spending time in an influx facility, according to a source familiar with the agreement.
Reuters:
In Victory For Trump, U.S. House Democrats Back Down On Border Aid Bill Demands
Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives backed down to President Donald Trump and passed a $4.6 billion aid package to address a migrant surge at the U.S.-Mexico border without the additional protections for migrant children that liberals had sought. Trump, the Republican-controlled Senate and moderate Democrats insisted on finishing the emergency aid bill as soon as possible, without further haggling over demands for greater migrant safeguards and reduced immigration enforcement spending. (Cornwell, 6/27)
The Washington Post:
House Passes $4.6 Billion Border Bill As Leaders Cave To Moderate Democrats And GOP
These moderates said they wanted to see the House act to address the border crisis, not get locked in a conflict with the Senate, especially with Congress about to leave Washington for a week-long Fourth of July recess. “To leave is unacceptable and not to take care of these children is unacceptable,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.), a member of the moderate Blue Dog group. “And quite frankly, not to work out a compromise with the Senate, in my mind, is unacceptable.” (Werner, DeBonis and Bade, 6/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
Border Bill Passes In House, Opening A Democratic Rift
The bill provides nearly $2.9 billion for the care of children who enter the U.S. unaccompanied. It funds 30 new teams of immigration judges, and more than $1 billion goes toward Customs and Border Protection to help the agency process migrants. (Duehren and Peterson, 6/28)
Politico:
House Clears Border Aid Bill After Pelosi Bows To McConnell
The vote — coming as lawmakers were eager to get out of Washington for the July Fourth recess — capped four days of havoc amid a contentious debate within Pelosi's caucus over how to respond to the mounting humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. (Caygle, Ferris and Everett, 6/27)
The New York Times:
House Passes Senate Border Bill In Striking Defeat For Pelosi
“In order to get resources to the children fastest, we will reluctantly pass the Senate bill,” Ms. Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic lawmakers. “As we pass the Senate bill, we will do so with a battle cry as to how we go forward to protect children in a way that truly honors their dignity and worth.” (Hirschfeld Davis and Cochrane, 6/27)
The Associated Press:
Border Bill Exposes Dems' Rift Over Limits Of Fighting Trump
While both chambers of Congress approved the package by lopsided margins, Senate Democrats led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed it overwhelmingly, with just six Democrats voting "no." They congratulated themselves for cutting the best deal they could in the Republican-controlled chamber, where the rules virtually force the two parties to compromise if legislation is to pass. "You've got a 30-1 vote," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, Senate Democrats' chief negotiator on the measure, citing the Appropriations Committee's overwhelming approval, which presaged the Senate's 84-8 final passage. "Around here these days you couldn't get 30-1 that the sun rises in the East." (Fram, 6/28)
USA Today:
House Passes $4.6 Billion Aid For Migrants After Pelosi Caves To GOP
“Bipartisan Humanitarian Aid Bill for the Southern Border just passed. A great job done by all!” Trump posted to Twitter. “Now we must work to get rid of the Loopholes and fix Asylum. Thank you also to Mexico for the work being done on helping with Illegal Immigration - a very big difference.” (Hayes, 6/27)
NPR:
Democratic-Led House Passes Senate's, Less Restrictive, Emergency Border Bill
Pressure to pass an aid package to deal with overcrowded and filthy facilities and to provide adequate care for a burgeoning population of unaccompanied minors who are detained for weeks in temporary shelters has intensified over the past week following reports from lawyers who visited the children. (Romo, 6/27)
The New York Times:
Five Takeaways From The Border Aid Vote
House Democrats have long played up their diversity, saying that the variety of viewpoints strengthen the party’s reach.But the different factions have frequently clashed, with more moderate members voicing concern that the progressive wing pushes the party too far to the left and more liberal members complaining about the tendency of moderate members to break with the party and vote with Republicans. (Cochrane, 6/27)
Politico:
‘Everyone Hates This Place’: Border Bill Tears Apart Democratic Caucus
Democrats broke into open warfare Thursday over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s surrender to the Senate’s emergency border aid package, with the caucus’ long-simmering divide between progressives and centrists playing out in dramatic fashion on the House floor. Some lawmakers even resorted to public name-calling, with progressive leader Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) accusing moderate Democrats of favoring child abuse — an exchange on Twitter that prompted two freshmen centrists to confront him directly on the floor, with other lawmakers looking on in shock. (Caygle, Ferris and Desiderio, 6/27)
CNN:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Slams Border Bill: US Should Not 'Be Throwing More Money To ICE'
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday slammed the version of an emergency border aid bill that passed the House Thursday, railing against what she called the lack of humanitarian provisions in the bill.Ocasio-Cortez, who voted against a different border aid bill earlier in the week as well, said she opposes giving any more money to agencies who are enforcing President Donald Trump's immigration policies, namely Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (LeBlanc, 6/27)
The Washington Post:
Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief Of Staff Accuses Moderate Democrats Of Enabling A ‘Racist System’
After the House passed a divisive spending bill that funds agencies dealing with the border crisis, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff criticized her boss’s moderate Democratic colleagues who approved the measure, saying it will “enable a racist system.” The intraparty debate over the $4.6 billion emergency spending bill was the latest example of a deepening divide between centrist Democrats and those further to the left, like Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.). (Thebault, 6/28)
