House Approves Senate Border Aid Bill After Pelosi's Reversal

House Democrats reluctantly passed the bipartisan Senate border appropriations bill many of them despised in an effort to get as much aid in the quickest possible time to migrant children wallowing in sub-standard living conditions in United States detention facilities along the border with Mexico.

The Senate version provides some $4.6 billion in emergency supplemental funding for border security.

In a letter to colleagues early Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she was disappointed the Senate had been disrespectful by ignoring the House Democrats' priorities, especially those having to do with protecting migrant children.

"The children come first," Pelosi pointed out.

“At the end of the day, we have to make sure that the resources needed to protect the children are available. Therefore, we will not engage in the same disrespectful behavior that the Senate did in ignoring our priorities. In order to get resources to the children fastest, we will reluctantly pass the Senate bill,” she wrote.

The original House version of the $4.5 billion border funding bill rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate includes oversight provisions that hold the Trump administration accountable for the conditions at migrant facilities. It also refuses any funding to build Trump’s border wall with Mexico.

The bill passed in the House with a vote of 305-102. It contained none of the additional migrant child protections or accountability measures demanded by Democrats. The deep divisions created among Democrats by the Senate bill saw only 129 Democrats vote for the bill. Another 95 Democrats voted against it.

Those voting nay included many members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

The bill saw 176 Republicans vote in its in favor. It was opposed by only seven Republicans.

Pelosi’s volte-face was sudden and unexpected. She previously urged reconciling the two bills ahead of the July Fourth recess on Friday.

Asked Wednesday if House Democrats will take up the Senate bill, Pelosi's answered, "No."

"They passed their bill, we respect that," said Pelosi. "We passed our bill, we hope they will respect that. And if there's some improvements that we think can be reconciled."

On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urged the House and Senate to immediately negotiate about differences in their two bills.

In exchange for Democrats supporting the Senate version, the Trump administration through vice president Mike Pence is said to have promised administrative changes in its handling of migrants.

Sources cited by media said members of the House will be notified within 24 hours after the death of a child in custody. Pence also agreed to the 90-day time limit on children spending time in an influx facility.

The Senate's bipartisan bill provides $4.59 billion in emergency funds for the humanitarian and security crisis at the Mexican border. Of this sum, $2.88 billion will go to Health and Human Services for safe shelter and care for children in its care.

About $1.1 billion will allow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish migrant care and processing facilities. Some $220 million will be set aside for the Department of Justice so it can process immigration cases and provide resources to U.S. Marshals Service for care and detention of federal detainees. Another $145 million will go to the U.S. military for missions along the Mexican border.

The House held a moment of silence on the floor for all migrants who have died at the border, including the father and child from El Salvador whose death by drowning a few days ago became the face of the Trump administration’s brutal crackdown on migrants.