Congress goes on summer break, border bill said to be on limbo

On July 28, Washington DC would be absent of US Congress members would be on leave for, as what Businessweek has coined, "district work period." The congressmen has recently reached a bipartisan deal to resolve the long-term problem in the veteran affairs healthcare system worth $18 billion. On the other hand, the lawmakers have somewhat forgot to tackle a much more urgent problem that has been growing behind America's borders.

The Los Angeles Times said that on Thursday, plans to put the $659 million emergency stopgap plan to address the overflow of 57,000 undocumented children has been thwarted reportedly by Senator Ted Cruz, who is said to have been working behind the scenes to stir enough conservative opposition to block it. GOP leaders in the House had to cancel Thursday's vote due to the lack of votes needed to put the plan through.

Cruz's machinations have prompted several Democrat lawmakers to refer him as "Speaker," the LA Times said. The real Speaker of the House, John Boehner, had eventually folded to Cruz's pressure and attached a bill that halted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program of the Obama administration that would have awarded half a million young immigrants legal status in the country should they join the military or remain in school.

Cruz's aggressive tactics have made some members of the GOP concerned, aware that the political moves would haunt them, at least in the too-important mid-elections in November.

Arizona border-state Representative Raul Grijalva was quoted as saying, "The way Republicans have demonized the kids. it's going to come back and bite them."

On the other hand, Businessweek said that the border crisis bill will not be passed anyway, nor gain enough support from the Democrats as the Republicans are pairing the funds with a provision that would make deportation of children easier. Moreover, the news outlet said that a bill from the Senate Democrats to allocate $2.7 billion to increase border enforcement will be blocked by the opposing political party.

Tags

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, US border crisis, US Congress, GOP, House Speaker John Boehner, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program

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