The Senate passed a $4.6 billion emergency spending bill to cope with the massive surge in illegal immigrants along the border, but the bipartisan measure differs from a more progressive bill the House passed on Tuesday.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday she won’t take up the Senate version, even though it is bipartisan and passed with an overwhelming majority. The two chambers must now work out a compromise deal.
Pelosi is under pressure from progressive Democrats to hold the line on the House version, which would add services and requirements for the treatment of illegal immigrants and would exclude money to deter the waive of illegal immigration that has overwhelmed the southern border.
Before passing the measure 84-8, the Senate rejected the $4.5 billion House version in a 55-37 vote, in favor of its own bill.
Both chambers are scheduled to be out of town next week, so any deal would have to materialize quickly if the money is to become available this month.
Both parties agree the border surge has caused a humanitarian crisis and additional funding is desperately needed by federal agencies dealing with the waive of migrants.
President Trump requested the emergency funding more than two months ago, and border officials said they are running out of money.
Trump told reporters Pelosi called him about the measure earlier today in an effort to strike a deal.
She did not disclose the details of that conversation when asked by reporters later in the Capitol.
The House bill passed mostly along party lines and was approved only after Democrats agreed to the demands of their progressives and added new requirements and restrictions for the treatment of apprehended illegal immigrants, who have appeared in massive numbers along the southern border in recent months and have overwhelmed border officials and government resources.
The House bill would add $60 billion for nonprofit organizations to house and take care of illegal immigrants and provide legal help.
The House bill excludes any money to curb the influx of illegal immigrants, such as a change to asylum laws or money for border barriers or immigration judges.
Last month, more than 140,000 migrants were apprehended and in each of several prior months, more than 100,000 crossed the border.
The House bill also excludes additional funding for detention beds or money requested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is an agency Democrats want to eliminate.
The Senate bill, passed by both Republicans and Democrats, includes additional funding for ICE and excludes House provisions such as funding for translators and educational and legal services for illegal immigrants.
