Forty-five senators ask McConnell to pass ‘clean’ Homeland funding bill

Forty-five senators, mostly Democrats, are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to bring a clean Homeland Security spending bill to the floor immediately.

“We write with one simple request: work with us to pass a clean bill that funds Homeland Security for the remainder of the fiscal year,” said a letter on Tuesday, spearheaded by Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.).

{mosads}“The House bill cannot pass the Senate,” it added, referring to the measure the House passed nearly two weeks ago. 

The GOP-led House managed to attach amendments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill that would roll back President Obama’s immigration actions. Since that vote, a number of senators have said they doubt that bill would get the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. Obama has also promised he would veto legislation that undo his policies.

In the letter to McConnell, Democrats argued that recent terrorist attacks and the growing threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) shows why Congress must provide new funding through September to DHS.

“In light of recent events in Paris, Ottawa and Australia, the threat of ISIS and the proliferation of foreign fighters that return home radicalized, DHS funding should not be tied to divisive political issues that could jeopardize this critical funding,” it said. 

If Congress doesn’t pass a new spending bill by Feb. 27, and only approves a continuing resolution using funding levels from 2014, the Democrats said it would limit the government’s counterterrorism efforts, border security initiatives and aviation security.

On Tuesday afternoon, however, McConnell told reporters that the Senate would consider the House-passed bill once they finish up a vote on the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline next week.

The letter was signed by the two independents who caucus with Democrats: Sens. Angus King (Maine) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.). Nearly all Senate Democrats signed the letter, too, except for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) who had to undergo surgery on Monday to repair broken bones in his face after a recent exercise accident.