House Approves Border Spending Bill, but Senate Needs to Vote Again
The House of Representatives passed a proposal first passed by the Senate last week that provides $600 million in emergency spending for security along the Southwest border. But since revenue bills must originate in the House, a new bill had to be offered, which now must be passed again by the Senate when they return from recess in September.
“The refusal of Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take up and pass the Senate’s fully-paid-for $600 million border security bill is another example of politics trumping policy,” Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, said in a statement. “The Democrats have made it clear that once again they are more interested in scoring political points than actually taking steps to pass strong policy and secure the border.
“The only difference between the Senate-passed bill and what the House passed today was the substitution of the words ‘House bill’ for ‘Senate bill.' It raises the question whether House Democrats want the result or the credit.”
The bill provides for additional border patrol agents along the Southwest border and the dispatching of unmanned drones along the border.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on September 13, 2010.