http://thehill.com/policy/finance/228970-house-gop-to-debate-dhs-funding-immigration-strategy-fridayBy Rebecca Shabad - 01/08/15 05:25 PM EST
House Republicans will huddle in a special conference meeting Friday morning to debate how to respond to President Obama’s executive action on immigration.
GOP lawmakers were notified Thursday about the 10:30 a.m. closed-door meeting, a leadership aide said.
Republicans are grappling with how to craft a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with some pushing to attach language that would defund Obama's plan to defer deportations for millions of illegal immigrants.
Congress must pass a new spending bill for the DHS by Feb. 28, or the department could shut down.
Several GOP lawmakers, including Reps. Mick Mulvaney (S.C.), Martha Roby (Ala.) and Robert Aderholt (Ala.), have legislation ready that could be attached to the funding bill that would block the Obama administration from implementing the executive actions on immigration.
But the GOP-led Appropriations panel contends Congress, in order to stop Obama, would also need to pass legislation that would prevent the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from collecting user fees, its source of funding.
The White House is adamant that Obama will not sign a measure that rolls back his immigration action, setting up the potential for a funding showdown at the start of the new Congress.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said earlier in the week that he hoped to release the DHS funding bill on Friday and have it on the floor next week.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday the Senate would consider the funding in February, and promised the department would remain open.
