Sen Kennedy says accept Dem offer, fund ICE later via reconciliation
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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Sunday he would accept a Democratic proposal to reopen the government without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that Republicans could later pass immigration enforcement funding without Democratic support.
“I would take the Democrats’ offer to open up everything at DHS except ICE. Then, the very next day, I would pass a compromise bill budgeting for ICE,” Kennedy told “Sunday Night in America” host Trey Gowdy.
“We can do this without a Democratic vote. Democrats are certainly welcome to join us. We can do it with the votes of all Republicans. That’s how we passed the Big, Beautiful Bill…”
AS TERRORIST THREATS INCREASE, UNPAID DHS WORKERS ARE ‘DISTRACTED’, INCREASING AIRPORT SECURITY CONCERNS
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, pauses as he speaks to members of the media in the basement of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kennedy said the current impasse is unnecessarily prolonging the partial government shutdown and harming federal workers.
This has led unpaid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents to consider calling in sick or looking for another job as financial pressures mount, creating longer wait times at airports across the United States.
TRUMP SAYS ICE WILL BE DEPLOYED AT AIRPORTS ON MONDAY TO HELP TSA AFTER FUNDING CLOSE
TSA agents scan luggage at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. (Valerie Plesch/Getty Images)
“What we’re doing right now is giving a Great Dane-sized buzz on the leg of every employee at TSA and everyone at DHS who needs to be paid,” Kennedy said.
“The reality is, and we’re having a lot of good conversations on the floor, while everyone knows this, Democrats are not going to vote for anything that has to do with ICE because their party is telling them they have to abolish it, and here we are. We can open in seven days.”
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