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Senator Paul Joins Rest of His Party in Reckless Homeland Security Funding Vote

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Bill Supported by Senator Paul Included Poison Pill Riders to Gut Key Immigration Programs 

Today, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) sided with anti-immigration restrictionists in his Party by voting to invoke cloture on a House-passed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill that includes unnecessary, anti-immigrant riders and plays politics with the operations of this critical department.  Cloture failed on a party line vote with only one Republican, Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, breaking ranks.   

Instead of responsibly committing necessary homeland security resources to the Department last year, Republicans chose to manufacture this latest funding crisis to try to pressure the President to walk away from his immigration enforcement policy announcements.  But the President is confident that the American people would rather our government deport felons not families, and is refusing to let Republicans in Congress micromanage his policies.  With Democrats united behind him, and Republicans unable to sustain a veto, so-called Republican leaders in Congress have no choice but to drop the political games and come to the table with a clean, uncontroversial DHS funding bill.  Immediately.  

Following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:

The GOP’s craven willingness to risk the nation’s security in order to deport Dreamers and the parents of American children is both reckless and irresponsible. Today, their strategy of playing politics with the nation’s homeland security funding was a resounding failure.  Their only success was in cementing their party’s reputation as hostile to the fastest growing groups of voters in the country.

Additionally, if Senator Paul really does want to become the next U.S. President, he’s going to need a new immigration stance and a new voting record. As of now, the clear message this vote today sends to Latino, APIA, and immigrant voters that Senator Paul does not stand with them and their families.

What now?  With the President committed to vetoing any legislation that dismantles his executive actions, and Democrats united in protecting them, it’s clear that the GOP does not have the votes to stop the common-sense steps announced in November of last year.  Do they really want to kick the can down the road and keep having the same fight over and over again?  Can it be that the GOP is determined to go into the 2016 elections with an immigration platform to the right of Mitt Romney?  It’s time for the GOP to stop the games, ensure stable funding for the agency tasked with protecting our country and figure out how to get out of the policy and political corner they’ve painted themselves into.