◼ Top Democrats said Feb. 23 they will hold the homeland security budget hostage until the GOP’s House caucus agrees to quit its popular anti-amnesty efforts. - Daily Caller
“If we are going to avoid a government shutdown on the Department of Homeland Security, we need a commitment from Speaker Boehner that we have a bipartisan, bicameral approval to end this deadlock,” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters during a Tuesday press conference in the Senate.
Durbin spoke shortly after the Senate’s GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to submit to the Democrats’ demands that the DHS 2015 budget not curb spending on the president’s November amnesty.
Democrats have filibustered the House-passed DHS budget bill four times just to block the anti-amnesty language.
McConnell agreed Feb. 22 to allow separate votes on a toothless DHS budget bill, and a bill that would curb Obama’s amnesty plans.
That’s a complete victory for the Democrats, because McConnell’s plan would allow them to kill the anti-amnesty bill, while also approving the separated DHS funding bill.
But McConnell’s surrender isn’t enough for Democrats.
They also want Boehner to give up the anti-amnesty fight even though almost 90 percent of the GOP base opposes the amnesty.
“All eyes are on Speaker Boehner,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said during the press conferenc
