Senate Republicans Block $2.7 Billion Border Security Bill

NEWSMAX — House Republicans are in a scramble to round up 218 votes from wary conservatives for a bill dealing with the immigrant surge at the U.S.-Mexico border. Members of the GOP whip team were meeting feverishly late Thursday with members they hoped to sway in order to build enough support to move legislation before leaving for a five-week recess, where they hope to brag about having accomplished something on the border bill. The House bill was scuttled, at least in part, by a rally supported by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who met late Wednesday with tea party house members to sway them against the legislation, which he opposed. The House GOP conference meets at 9 a.m. Friday. In a surprising setback, the leadership on Thursday was forced to abandon a vote on the slimmed-down $659 million measure. Then they huddled with GOP members to figure out a way to secure passage of a bill making it easier to deport tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America flooding into the United States. [Read More]