Migrant crossings on the #US - #Mexico#border have dropped significantly in the first 3 months of the year, acc/to official figures, from a peak of 301,981 in Dec to under 200,000 a month from Jan - Mar. That could ease political pressure on #POTUS#Biden, but #Republicans are likely to continue attacking him by pointing out that border crossings remain relatively high.
#Senate now going through nonsensical #Republican motions re #Mayorkas#impeachment that are all being rejected. There will likely be more before a real vote on Schumer’s point of order that article I is unconstitutional.
#HouseRepublicans urged Schumer to "schedule a trial on the matter expeditiously."
#Schumer & his staff have promised to start the process of swearing senators in as jurors the day after the articles are received in the chamber. Washington Senator Patty Murray, the #Senate President Pro Tempore, will preside over the #Mayorkas#impeachment trial.
#Shutdown deadline passes as #Senate votes on spending bill
The #House already passed the $1.2T bill. Funding for parts of the #FederalGovernment expired at 12:01AM Sat — but the Senate was working its way through a series of amendments to fund agencies for the next 6 months, which means the lapse in funding could end before fed #workers come in Mon.
#TSA screeners would remain on the job #withoutPay, many of whom called in sick as a #protest after a previous #shutdown dragged on for wks, sparking nationwide #travel delays.
It would also leave #Congress w/few alternate paths to fund the govt. A likely last resort would have been another #stopgap resolution to preserve existing #funding, potentially triggering #cuts to #defense spending.
The bipartisan bill emerged one day before the federal funding deadline, & it was not clear whether Congress could complete it in time to avoid a partial #shutdown after midnight on Friday.
Congressional Leaders Strike Deal on Final Spending Bill Ahead of #GovernmentShutdown
Lawmakers resolved disputes over #DHS funding, paving the way for an agreement. But they may still be unable to meet a Friday deadline to avert a brief partial #shutdown.
Earlier this month, lawmakers were able to negotiate & pass a 6-bill $460B spending package that just barely met the 1st deadline on Mar 8, & are now repeating the process — this time haggling over funding for more politically fraught agencies — before the 2nd deadline at the end of this week.