Rep. Diana DeGette
Just as U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette predicted, for the rest of the fiscal year and didn’t tie the the President Obama’s immigration policies to the measure.
DeGette addressed the issue Saturday annual Jefferson Jackson dinner. The House had worked late Friday on the issue.
What DeGette said Saturday:
What strategic genius do you think thought up the idea that we would refuse to fund Homeland Security in order to stop the president from implementing his executive order? How did they think that would end for them? Next week, I think you will be happy to hear that we’re going to have a vote on a clean-funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. And equally important we’re going to make sure the president’s executive order giving a path to stay in this country for every citizen and every person who is here will be intact.
What DeGette said today:
Finally, Republican leaders recognized what has been clear for weeks: whatever their disagreements with President Obama and his actions to address our broken immigration system, Congress must provide the necessary resources to protect our homeland from attacks and be prepared to respond to natural disasters. While we should have taken this action weeks ago, I am pleased to see this get done at last.
: “Bitterly admitting defeat, the Republican-controlled Congress sent legislation to President Barack Obama on Tuesday that funds the Department of Homeland Security without any of the immigration-related concessions they demanded for months.”
All 182 Democrats present voted for the measure, which only 75 Republicans supported. One of them was U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman of Aurora.
“I strongly oppose the President’s unilateral actions that I believe are unconstitutional but this issue is now being addressed where it should be: the courts,” Coffman said in a statement.
“A federal district judge has already issued a stay preventing the implementation of the President’s executive order and I am confident that the courts will continue to agree that the President’s actions exceed his authority and are a failure on his part to do his duty to faithfully execute the laws as enacted by Congress. While I strongly oppose the President’s overreach, shutting down the Department of Homeland Security is not the right approach given our national security challenges.”
