Friday, February 27, 2015

Conservative rebellion helps sink DHS bill, shutdown looms at midnight

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio leaves the House chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015, after the House voted to go to conference committee on a long-term "clean" spending bill for the Homeland Security Department hours before a shutdown was to begin.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Conservatives rebelled in the House Friday afternoon, joining Democrats to defeat a bill to keep the Homeland Security Department open past a midnight shutdown deadline and leaving funding in doubt as all sides continued to fight over President Obama’s deportation amnesty.

House GOP leaders had hoped to earn a three-week grace period, trying to pass a bill to continue current funding through March 19, but Democrats insisted they would only accept a full bill that didn’t interfere with Mr. Obama’s amnesty, while conservative Republicans felt they were being set up for failure by their own leaders.

The short-term bill was defeated on a 224-203 vote, sending House Speaker John A. Boehner and fellow GOP leaders scrambling for a Plan B after 52 of his Republicans defected to join all but Democrats in voting against the bill.

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