A Republican lawmaker has criticized their own party for an ongoing disagreement with the Democratic Party.
Frustrated Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) said the back and forth over reopening the Department of Homeland Security is par for the course under President Donald Trump‘s administration. He told CNN, “We do it the hardest, most painful, most awkward, most drawn out miserable way, but eventually we get it done. This is a classic example of that.”
The DHS began its partial shutdown six weeks ago following a partial funding lapse that is yet to be resolved. The US Senate has, as of today (March 27), voted to end the 40-day shutdown, so long as immigration enforcement is excluded from reopening. The deal now faces a vote in the House of Representatives.
Fellow GOP representatives were openly critical of how long the shutdown had gone on.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) said, “I mean, we’ve got to, for God’s sake, we’ve got to open this piece of government up.”
The bill set to be reviewed by the House does not feature reforms the GOP had pushed for, specifically increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
There is also an omission regarding Border Patrol, with money for the immigration team absent from the most recent proposal. Republican Party support is not at all guaranteed for the bill either, with House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole saying, “I don’t even know what it is yet.”
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, speaking from the chamber earlier Friday, added, “Trump should never have had to step in to rescue TSA workers and US air travel.
“We’re here because, thanks to Democrats’ determined refusal to reach an agreement, there will be no Homeland Security funding bill this year. Instead… Republicans funded the Department of Homeland Security piecemeal,” Thune added. “That is not the way to fund the department.”
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