News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Mar. 13, 2015: After much time wasting, sanity prevailed and a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security was averted thanks in part to 75 brave Republicans.
It is not often that credit is given to those GOP lawmakers with rationality and reason; but after constantly lumping them too often as “Republican bad apples” it’s important in this column to let readers know of the more than six dozen who stood tall and let sanity prevail on March 3rd with a House vote of 257-167.
Below is the full list of House Republicans who voted for a DHS spending bill without any of the immigration-related concessions many in their own party had demanded for months. These man and women deserve an applause and to be recognized here individually so here goes:
1. Congressman Daniel Joseph “Dan” Benishek
2. Congressman Mike Bishop
3. Congressman John Boehner
4. Congressman Mike Bost
5. Congressman Mo Brooks
6. Congressman Vernon G. “Vern” Buchanan
7. Congressman Kenneth Stanton “Ken” Calvert
8. Congressman John Carter
9. Congressman Michael “Mike” Coffman
10. Congressman Thomas Jeffery “Tom” Cole
11. Congressman Christopher Carl “Chris” Collins
12. Congresswoman Barbara Comstock
13. Congressman Ryan Costello
14. Congressman Carlos Curbelo
15. Congressman Rodney Lee Davis
16. Congressman Jeffrey John “Jeff” Denham
17. Congressman Charles W. “Charlie” Dent
18. Congressman Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart Caballero
19. Congressman Robert James “Bob” Dold, Jr.
20. Congresswoman Renee Jacisin Ellmers
21. Congressman Tom Emmer
22. Congressman Michael G. “Mike” Fitzpatrick
23. Congressman Rodney Procter Frelinghuysen
24. Congressman Christopher P. “Chris” Gibson
25. Congresswoman Kay Granger
26. Congressman Frank Guinta
27. Congressman Richard L. Hanna
28. Congressman Cresent Hardy
29. Congressman Joseph John “Joe” Heck
30. Congressman Will Hurd
31. Congressman David Wilson Jolly
32. Congressman John Michael Katko
33. Congressman Peter King
34. Congressman Adam Daniel Kinzinger
35. Congressman John Paul Kline, Jr.
36. Congressman Steve Knight
37. Congressman Leonard J. Lance
38. Congressman Frank Alo LoBiondo
39. Congressman Tom MacArthur
40. Congressman Kevin Owen McCarthy
41. Congressman Michael Thomas McCaul, Sr.
42. Congressman Patrick McHenry
43. Congressman Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers
44. Congresswoman Martha McSally
45. Congressman Patrick Leo “Pat” Meehan
46. Congressman Candice Miller
47. Congressman John Moolenaar
48. Congressman Patrick Murphy
49. Congresswoman Kristi Lynn Noem
50. Congressman Devin Gerald Nunes
51. Congressman Erik Paulsen
52. Congressman Robert Pittenger
53. Congressman Joseph R. “Joe” Pitts
54. Congressman Bruce Lee Poliquin
55. Congressman David George “Dave” Reichert
56. Congressman Hal Rogers
57. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
58. Congressman Edward Randall “Ed” Royce
59. Congressman Paul Ryan
60. Congressman Stephen Joseph “Steve” Scalise
61. Congressman Aaron Jon Schock
62. Congressman John Mondy Shimkus
63. Congressman Michael Keith “Mike” Simpson
64. Congressman Christopher Henry “Chris” Smith
65. Congresswoman Elise M. Stefanik
66. Congressman Steven Ernst “Steve” Stivers
67. Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson
68. Congressman Patrick Joseph “Pat” Tiberi
69. Congressman Dave Trott
70. Congressman Michael R. “Mike” Turner
71. Congressman Frederick Stephen “Fred” Upton
72. Congressman David G. Valadao
73. Congressman Gregory Paul Walden
74. Congresswoman Mimi Walters
75. Congressman Todd Young
All 182 Democrats present voted for the bill which thankfully funds the Homeland Security Department through the Sept. 30th or the end of the budget year. So we can now breathe a sigh of relief that our nation will remain protected instead of being left open to the many mad men running high on ISIS propaganda.
Now the ball is in U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s court to also let sanity prevail and do right by many upstanding undocumented immigrants.
Hanen has the important task this week to decide whether he will put on hold his prior decision to block the White House’s executive orders on immigration, or at least limit the impact to Texas.
The administration has asked Hanen for a decision on a stay on his order they requested last month by March 9th. So far the conservative judge who is fast appearing like a GOP lackey has not indicated if he will grant the stay.
If Hanen does not issue a full stay by Monday, the Justice Department will take its request to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to ensure the stay that will reverse, or partially reverse, Hanen’s injunction of on Feb. 17th.
This would allow eligible immigrants to apply for benefits, including work permits, while the appeals process plays out in higher courts over the next several months. It is what is urgently needed.
Hanen holds the future of these immigrants literally in his hands and one can only pray he does right by them within the scope of the power given to him by the constitution – not a party! It is also incumbent now that the 75 sane Republicans within the Congress begin to pursue action that will reform the country’s immigration laws during their watch while aiding some 11 plus million within the borders and closing it thereafter.
No one can argue with that strategy and it will undoubtedly auger well for them come next year. It’s time to put country over party and let progress ensue by learning the math of the changing demographics of America.
The writer is CMO of Hard Beat Communications, which owns the brands News Americas Now, CaribPR Wire and Invest Caribbean Now.
