House votes down stopgap funding of Homeland Security, shutdown looms

The Republican-controlled House unexpectedly rejected short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security on Friday, increasing the prospect of a partial shutdown at midnight of an agency with significant anti-terrorism responsibilities.

The vote was 224-203 against the measure, as more than four dozen Republicans defected on the leadership-backed legislation.

A combination of conservative, tea party-backed Republicans on one side of the political aisle and Democrats on the other opposed the bill. The first group was upset because the legislation had been stripped of changes to President Barack Obama's immigration policy, and the second because it lacked full-year funding for the sprawling department.

Much of the Department of Homeland Security was to remain open, even if funding expired at midnight. Airport security checkpoints would remain staffed, immigration agents would be on the job, air marshals would do their work and Coast Guard patrols would sail on. Of the department's 230,000 employees, an estimated 200,000 would remain at work, either because they are deemed essential, or because their pay comes from fees that are unaffected by congressional spending disputes.

But with just a few hours remaining before the midnight deadline, it was unclear what Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders would next propose.

Democrats led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California urged them in advance to allow a vote on a bill to keep the department in funds through the Sept. 30 end of the budget year — a step the GOP high command had previously refused to take.

"You have made a mess," Pelosi said to Republicans as debate neared an end on the measure.

That wasn't how tea party-backed rebels saw it.

"It does not make any difference whether the funding is for three weeks, three months or a full fiscal year. If it's illegal, it's illegal," said Rep. Mo Brooks, a Republican, referring to Obama's actions.

Other conservatives disagreed with that sort of analysis in large numbers — and said so.

"It's the best solution that we have available to us right now," said Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican. "Nobody wants to shut down the Department of Homeland Security."

Across the Capitol, the Senate waited to add its assent after playing out a series of acts in the Republicans' effort to use the measure to wring concessions on immigration from the White House.

A largely symbolic attempt to advance legislation that would repeal Obama's immigration directive of last fall failed on a vote of 57-42, three short of the 60 required in the 100-member chamber.

That separate proposal was "commonsense legislation that would protect our democracy from the egregious example of executive overreach we saw in November," said Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , who successfully led his rank and file in recent days to a decision to pass Homeland Security legislation without immigration-related provisions.

And ironically, a federal court order has blocked implementation of Obama's immigration policies that most Republicans seek, at least temporarily.

Taken together, the day's events at the Capitol underscored the difficulty Republicans have had so far this year in translating last fall's election gains into legislative accomplishment — a step its own leaders say is necessary to establish the party's credentials as a responsible, governing party.

Republicans gained control of the Senate in last November's balloting, and emerged with their largest House majority in more than 70 years.

The Associated Press