House extends session to try again on child immigrant bill Obama vows to veto

STARTELEGRAM — WASHINGTON — In a stunning series of stops and starts to resolve the border crisis Thursday, the House of Representatives debated a bill to help resolve the flow of unaccompanied children over the southeastern border, then GOP leaders, facing defeat, pulled it from the floor only to reverse course after an outcry from supporters. The turnaround delayed the start of a five-week summer recess. The House Republican Conference met Thursday afternoon and will meet again Friday morning, with a vote possible later in the day. Emotions were high on the House floor as speakers on both sides talked about the urgency of the crisis. But enough House conservatives refused to support the package that leaders yanked the bill. A cadre of powerful House Republicans, including House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers of Kentucky, then surrounded new House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and demanded a vote. Many members said it was unconscionable that Congress would fail to act on a crisis and then leave Washington for five weeks. [Read More]