HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER

San Diego delegation splits on vote

March 4, 2015 (Washington DC)--The Department of Homeland Security won’t be shutting down.  Both houses of Congress have now passed legislation to fund the agency through September.

The action came after Republican leadership finally allowed a vote on a “clean” funding bill without language overturning President Obama executive orders deferring deportation for some 5 million undocumented immigrants.  Previously, Republicans had voted to hold the Homeland Security measure hostage unless they could block the immigration reforms.

But San Diego’s two Republican Congressmen, Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa, still voted against funding Homeland Security, despite the Republican leadership change of position.  Democrats Susan Davis, Juan Vargas and Scott Peters voted for the bill.

Last week, Congress had passed a seven-day funding extension that would have expired this Friday. The new vote assures that Homeland Security, which includes Customs and Border Patrol , Coast Guard and Transportation Safety administration employees, will continue to have full funding until September.

As for the President’s immigration reforms, over two dozen states have filed a legal challenge which is currently working its way through the federal court system.