Senate Republicans Wednesday offered up a $4.6 billion package for humanitarian assistance on the U.S.-Mexico border, with the bulk going to improve migrant care and relieve the crisis of a record number of illegal immigrants arriving at the border.
At a bill markup hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, the package offered by Chairman Sen. Richard Shelby also included funding for 30 new immigration judges to speed the processing of illegal immigrants, a provision supported earlier in the day by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
It is based on President Trump’s earlier request for humanitarian aid. It is targeted to help immigration agencies that have been overwhelmed by the crush of a record number of illegal immigrants arriving at the border.
Trump did not request extra wall funding in the humanitarian package. However, the committee is considering $145 million for the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Army National Guard for their operating expenses along the border that includes surveillance.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been forceful in pushing for approval of the spending plan first offered by Trump. He has said that if the Appropriations Committee can’t find agreement on it, he would propose a separate bill for the full Senate to vote on next week.
He has argued that since the package includes no wall funding and is focused on the crisis on the border, Democrats should get behind it. Democrats, however, have shown little support despite crying out at the poor border conditions the humanitarian aid would help to fix.Read the rest of the story HERE.
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