Senate Republicans are becoming frustrated by the lack of effort being made by the speaker, John Boehner, with regard to managing the unrealistic expectations of conservatives in the House of Representatives. The House has approved a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that would also overturn President Obama’s recent executive action on immigration reform, apparently oblivious to the reality that this bill has no chance of being passed by the Senate.
Senate lawmakers think that Boehner has failed in his responsibilities by not making it clear that the bill, which also repeals the original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, is dead in the water in the Senate even before it goes to a vote. Republican senators are also concerned that recent events will set a precedent for bills passed through the House of Representatives that have no hope of getting through the Senate.
While Republicans in the Senate know that Boehner is walking a fine line by attempting to keep the more conservative House members happy, having already faced a challenge to his role as speaker this year, they fear that he is doing so by merely kowtowing to Senator Mitch McConnell. Senator McConnell has been accused of weak leadership by pursuing a course of action that cannot be achieved.
A number of moderate Republicans, such as Senators Susan Collins and Mark Kirk, have also objected to the agency’s funding being threatened by being used in a stand-off over immigration reform.