Washington, D.C. (Nexstar) — The House is set to vote on the $4.5 billion emergency border funding package today, but its passage is uncertain.
The White House says it doesn’t support the House bill because it doesn’t secure the southern border.
“Unsanitary” and “inhumane” — that’s how El Paso Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar described the conditions inside the migrant holding facilities in her district. “Children sleeping on concrete floors,” she said. “Children whose T-shirts are covered in mucus.”
And without money, Escobar says the situation is only going to get worse. She’s calling on her house colleagues to pass this $4.5 billion-dollar emergency spending package.
“The sooner that the president signs that bill, the sooner that that funding will get where it needs to go.”
But the White House warned the House bill is dead upon arrival because it includes Democratic provisions the administration believes would make the country less safe.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy says the house should instead vote on the Senate’s bill because it’s more likely to get President Trump’s support.
The biggest difference between the two bills is how the money will be spent. The Senate’s plan directs funding toward border security increasing capacity at detention centers. The House bill focuses on improving the conditions for migrants in U.S. custody.
Lawmakers leave for a July 4th recess at the end of this week.
