House Democrats, under pressure to pass a border funding bill President Trump will sign, plan to take up a new measure Thursday they hope will serve as a compromise.
It’s not clear yet whether Republicans or Trump will support it.
The House Rules Committee early Thursday approved legislation that takes a Senate-passed bipartisan bill and adds some of the provisions demanded by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
“This is a reasonable effort to find common ground and maintain critical protections for children,” said Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “There is no reason this should not be signed into law.”
But Senate Republicans, who control the upper chamber, and Trump have not indicated whether they will agree to the new House measure.
The legislation strips out money for military help along the inundated border, a key priority for Trump.
More than 100,000 illegal immigrants have been apprehended along the southern border during the past few months. More than 144,000 crossed illegally in May.
House Democrats also added new restrictions and accountability requirements pertaining to the influx of illegal immigrants that have overwhelmed border facilities. They added in millions of dollars for nonprofit groups to settle illegal immigrants in the United States.
Democrats also added a 90-day limit on holding illegal immigrant children in detention centers along the border.
Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the rules panel, warned that the provisions added to the Senate measure by Democrats had already been stripped out during the bipartisan negotiations in the Senate.
He accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of delaying much-needed resources for the sake of keeping her caucus unified.
Cole called for a vote on the $4.6 billion Senate bill, which passed 84-8 on Wednesday.
But his motion was defeated by Democrats.
“We are out of time,” Cole said. “We cannot delay any further for the sake of political posturing. we must send something to the president that he will sign so he can immediately send resources to alleviate the crisis.”
Trump called for $4.5 billion in emergency border funding more than two months ago but the bill has stalled over the objections of Democrats who want to keep funding away from Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other effort to deport illegal immigrants.
The House passed a bill earlier this week along party lines after Democrats added progressive provisions aimed at increasing services and accountability for the treatment of illegal immigrants and for preventing deportations.
The House is expected to take up the new measure on Thursday.
If it passes, the measure would then head to the Senate.
A spokesperson for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not indicated yet whether the bill has any chance of passing in the upper chamber.
Trump hasn’t weighed in on it yet, either.
He spoke to Pelosi by phone on Wednesday about a compromise.
