The Senate on Wednesday again was unable to muster enough votes to invoke cloture to proceed with the Department of Homeland Security’s FY ’15 spending bill, which President Barack Obama would veto if it includes amendments that block his executive actions on immigration.
The vote was 53-47 in favor of invoking cloture, seven votes shy of the threshold. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was the lone Republican that voted no, allowing him the opportunity to bring the bill up for consideration again.
Democrats and the Obama administration have been adamant that they want a “clean” bill for DHS, meaning no riders defunding or otherwise blocking the president’s immigration actions outlined last November.
DHS is currently operating under a continuing resolution, which essentially funds the department at FY ’14 levels, but also prevents new program starts getting underway. The resolution expires on Feb. 27.