1 Senate Passes Border Funding Bill
Congressional leaders hope to work out a compromise border funding bill before leaving Washington for the 4th of July recess. The Senate has passed a bipartisan bill by vote of 84-8. The measure provides four-point-six billion dollars in humanitarian aid for migrants at the southern border. This vote came after senators voted down a House bill – not surprising as Senate Republicans have said they won't negotiate with House Democrats over differences in the bills. Like what? House Democrats added strict standards for conditions at migrant facilities amid reports that migrant children are being kept in poor conditions. As for what happens next? Legally, the Senate and House versions need to be reconciled. That means the House has to vote on the Senate version – something House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says won’t happen. "They passed their bill, we respect that. We passed our bill, we hope they will respect that,” she notes. “And if there's some improvements that we think can be reconciled.” In other words, it’s anyone’s guess.
2 Trump: Dems Need To Fix Immigration Laws Now
President Trump says he has been talking with congressional leaders about legislation providing humanitarian aid to migrant children who've been apprehended along the southern border. Talking with reporters at the White House, Trump called it very important. He again called the border situation a crisis and said loopholes in asylum laws could be “easily fixed.” Later taking to Twitter onboard Air Force One as he travels to the G20 summit in Japan, Trump said "Democrats should change the Loopholes and Aslyum Laws so lives will be saved at our Southern Border." He also accused Democrats of saying it wasn't a crisis at the Border and that it was just “manufactured.” He adds Dems now admit he was right, but something needs to be done to fix it.
3 House Panel Authorizes Subpoena For Kellyanne Conway
If President Trump didn’t like the idea of Hope Hicks testifying before Congress, he’s likely to blow a gasket over the House Oversight Committee is authorizing a subpoena for White House adviser Kellyanne Conway to testify about violations of a federal law known as the Hatch Act. As we told you before, a federal watchdog office recommended that Conway be dismissed for violating the law, which guards against overt political activities by government employees. President Trump has said he has no intention of doing that and the White House has directed her not to testify. Either way, she’ll have to show up – as Maryland Democrat Elijah Cummings threatened to hold Conway in contempt if she does not honor the subpoena. Cummings chairs the oversight panel. The Office of Special Counsel accused Conway of publicly criticizing Democratic presidential candidates and of using her position to promote Trump's re-election campaign. The office is not affiliated with now-former Special Counsel Robert Mueller.