Valentine’s Day pivotal in congressional DHS funding fight

“We will get the votes,” the Speaker of the House of Representatives said. Mike JohnsonRepublican of Los Angeles, as the House approached a vote to end a three-day partial government shutdown Tuesday morning. “That was never in doubt.”

Oh really?

Well, Johnson was right. Finally, Republicans summoned the votes to pass a reorganized spending package to end the crisis Short closing. Certainly better than the record 43-day shutdown in the fall.

But it wasn’t necessarily easy.

Shutdown averted for now, but Senate warns DHS fight could spark another conflict within days

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Los Angeles, asserted in the run-up to the vote to end the partial government shutdown: “We will get the votes.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Approval of bills in the House of Representatives poses a challenge for Republicans, with their narrow majority. What has become increasingly more problematic is the procedural vote known as the “rule.” Adopting the rule to determine the terms of discussion is necessary before the bill is brought to session. And conservatives dissatisfied with GOP leadership regularly turn what used to be a routine primary vote into a regular adventure.

“This is where you’re going to see some friction,” Rep. Kat Cammack, Republican of Florida, predicted on Fox.

She was right. While there was drama when the bill passed, the rule was a roller coaster.

Groundhog Day and Friday the 13th

Democrats said they would not do so Help Republicans Adopting the rule. They said the rule was the responsibility of the majority. It has historically been this way in the House for decades.

“On rare occasions, we have intervened to address Republican dysfunction,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

When voting began, Rep. Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, was quick to vote “no” for the GOP.

It’s about mathematics. With the House 218-214, Republicans can only adopt the rule with one defection if all members vote. Two splits would result in a 216-216 tie. Under the rule, connections in the House lose.

With Republicans maintaining a razor-thin majority in the House, there is little room for dissent. (Anna Rose Leyden/Getty Images)

Fellow Kelly Farris tracked the procedural vote from the House gallery. A few moments later, Rep. John Rose, Republican of Tennessee, became the No. 2 Republican. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Los Angeles, swooped in to speak with Rose. On X Day, Rose announced that he wanted the GOP to attach the Savings Act to the revised spending bill. Note that Rose is running against Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, for governor of Tennessee. The SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote. Including such a clause in the bill would only prolong the lockdown. This is because the House of Representatives and the Senate will remain out of consensus, having approved different bills. Moreover, there was no way to break the filibuster on the issue in the Senate.

So, the rule failed with two GOP disapprovals and four Republicans who have not yet voted: Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Byron Donalds, R-Florida, Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Victoria Spartz, R-Indiana. Top Republican leaders will need all four nonvoters to turn yes. In addition, they will need to change Diamond or Rose. The vote stagnated at 216 against and 212 yes.

If this explodes, the partial government shutdown will continue.

House sends bill to end government shutdown to Trump’s desk after 21 Democrats break with Jefferies

Then Donalds and Spartz got on the board with a yes. Thus, the number became 214 yes versus 216 no. Nils voted yes after a few moments. So 215 yes versus 216 no. Massie and Rose remained the only Republicans to hold out. Ogles remained on the sidelines.

But then Rose changed his vote to yes. Ogles finally voted and it was yes. Representative JT Thompson, Republican of Pennsylvania, presided over the vote. He banged the gavel, closing the vote by 217 to 215. The House approved the rule, paving the way for the chamber to discuss the spending plan and end the shutdown. Massie was the only GOP who did not.

Things were also tense over the passage of the bill. Yes ran behind No for most of the allotted time before barely passing at 217-214. 21 Republicans voted no. But 21 Democrats voted yes, making up the difference. If another member had voted no, the number would have been 216-215. The bill would have failed if two additional members had voted no.

But thus ended the second government shutdown since the fall.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RD, called it a “win” that fully funds 96% of the federal government. (Chip Somodevila/Getty Images)

“We’re 96% fully funded by the federal government. So that’s a nice win,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune boasted, more than four months after Congress funded the whole thing.

But the remaining four percent is Department of Homeland Security. Democrats are demanding changes at ICE before funding expires — on Valentine’s Day.

How do I love you? Let me count the appropriations bills. 11 of 12 have been completed. Unless lawmakers can forge a deal, another shutdown looms, albeit only to benefit DHS.

“Closing the Department of Homeland Security. I’m OK with that,” announced Rep. Madeleine Dean, Democrat of Pennsylvania.

A DHS-centered shutdown means TSA will not be paid for. And more volatility at ICE – even though its operations are funded by the big, beautiful bill.

Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, had a message for DHS employees.

“You will get paid because this is a continuation of your salary,” Kiss warned. “But the uncertainty — until we solve this problem — you have to live with.”

Partial government shutdown ends as fight continues over DHS funding

Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Missouri, is the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. He is one of 193 Democrats who opposed the bill.

“This is an opportunity to show your opposition,” Thompson said.

But former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was one of those 21 Democrats who voted to reopen the government. He represents thousands of marginalized federal workers in his district not far from the nation’s capital.

“Today is the time to fund majority government for the American people,” Hoyer said.

But negotiating an agreement on such a troubling issue within a week and a half is almost impossible in Congress. Democrats in the House and Senate are scheduled to announce their concrete demands on Thursday. Republicans have their requests, too.

“I’m not willing to give them all the reform they ask for,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, D-R.C., “or even some of the reforms without getting some of the reforms ourselves.”

Some Republicans want to end sanctuary cities. Others want to include conservation law.

Johnson described any attempts to keep other government agencies closed as a “fool’s errand” and accused his fellow Democrats of playing a “dangerous game.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Republicans question Democrats’ motives.

“If they have any intention of trying to keep these other government agencies closed, that would be a fool’s errand,” Johnson said. “It’s a very dangerous game they’re playing.”

Jeffries announced that he “strongly rejected a one-year interim spending plan” for the Department of Homeland Security. “The deadline is February 13,” Jeffries confirmed.

But is there realistically enough time to fix this?

“You can get where you want to go if you have the will to get there,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the leading Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.

She added that there will be a “vote” of sorts regarding DHS funding “on the 13th.”

But time to reach an agreement is running out As Democrats No specific legislative requests have yet been made.

“That’s an indicator to me that they’re trying to figure out what to do here,” Thune said. “Trying to do it on a two-week notice doesn’t make any sense here.”

Thune added that he believes Democrats want to have a “political issue” in the midterms.

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So Valentine’s Day is the DHS funding deadline. There’s nothing more romantic than a partial government shutdown. But don’t expect lawmakers to trade Dove chocolate bars or boxes of Russell Stover candy to each other.

Instead of trading legislative proposals, perhaps lawmakers could exchange sweet hearts with specific requests written at the top of each one. Instead of “Be Mine” or “Hug Me,” hearts can say “No Mobile Patrols” or “Voter ID.”