The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a Senate-passed bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) – during a pro forma session.
Amid a two-week Congressional spring recess, the House held a brief, “perfunctory” meeting known as a pro forma session to decide whether to pass the recent Senate-passed legislation to end the nearly eight-week-long DHS impasse.
“In that session, they adjourned immediately. They did not take any action whatsoever on that Senate-passed DHS funding bill,” Fox News reported. “If the House had wanted to pass it this morning, they would’ve needed to do so via unanimous consent.”
Unanimous consent is a procedural tool in which a member requests to take an action without a formal vote. It is used to expedite the passage of non-controversial bills or to schedule floor action. A single objection defeats the request.
Republican Congressmembers Express Frustration with Senate Democrats
“The Senate sent us a bad bill. It just was not adequate. The Senate Democrats have been just uncooperative in anything that makes common sense,” Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.) expressed during an interview with Fox News. “Every day they delay is another day Americans are left waiting on their paychecks. At this point, this is a choice by the left.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also expressed his urgency to resolve the impasse in a post via X.
“DHS has been shut down for OVER 50 DAYS because [Senate Democrats] are fighting to protect illegal alien CRIMINALS,” Sen. Scott wrote. “It's absurd that Congress isn't in town working to fix this RIGHT NOW.”
“We need to COME BACK, GET TO WORK, and fund ALL OF DHS. And we shouldn't leave town again until our work is DONE.”
