U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said he is not sure that a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security can be stopped before funding runs out on Friday, as the Senate remains at an impasse over the question of immigration.
Senate Democrats are blocking a funding bill that would also restrict President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Johnson is the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“The absolute worst-case scenario would be a partial shutdown of the department where maybe up to 15 percent would be furloughed, and the rest, 85 percent, would have to work without pay. I don’t want to see that result,” Johnson said.
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Johnson wants the president to suspend his executive order on immigration for a full fiscal year, now that a federal judge has ruled against it.
“President Obama and Secretary Johnson could end this overnight if they would just acknowledge that a court has now ruled their executive action is unlawful,” he said, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
The senator said even if a compromise is reached in the Senate, there’s no guarantee it can pass the House.
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