US Senate Approves Own $4.6B Border Aid Bill, Rejects House Version

The fate of a bipartisan Senate bill allocating $4.6 billion to address the migrant crisis along the United States' border with Mexico remains unclear as House Democrats continue to blast president Donald Trump for using helpless migrant children to stoke crisis at the border.

But by approving their version of the bill Wednesday, the Republican-dominated Senate set itself on a collision course with House Democrats that have passed a different version of this same legislation.

The House version of the border funding bill has oversight provisions to hold the administration accountable for the conditions at migrant facilities. It provides no money for border wall construction.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blasted the House bill as "a go-nowhere proposal filled with poison-pill riders which the president would veto."

It's not certain if there's time for the Senate and House to reconcile their bills before Congress breaks for a month-long recess on Friday ahead of the 4th of July weekend. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) plans a vote on the House floor before recess on Friday.

Asked if House Democrats will take up the Senate bill, Pelosi's resolute answer was, "No."

"They passed their bill, we respect that," said Pelosi. "We passed our bill, we hope they will respect that. And if there's some improvements that we think can be reconciled."

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urged the House and Senate to immediately negotiate about differences in their two bills.

However, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), chair of the Senate Appropriations committee, said that if the House and Senate try to reconcile their separate border aid bills,"there's a lot of differences that need to be dealt with."

He noted the differences in both bills "are not that small."

Sen. John Thune (R-SD), said any talks to merge the two bills will "delay" getting the needed funds to the border.

"They need the money now," argued Thune."The situation down there, as we all know, is pretty dire. And so, if they say let's go to conference when we get back, I just don't think that's a viable position."

Thune said he expects the House to take up the Senate bill this week. He also doesn't expect Congress will recess on Friday without approving the emergency funding.

The House voted Tuesday to approve $4.5 billion in aid for the growing crisis at the border. This bill is markedly different from the Senate version and some Washington insiders say there is no way these monumental gulfs can be breached in only two days.

House Democrats are slamming the Senate's version for the absence of restrictions on how funds will be used -- or misused -- by the Trump administration. House Democrats are concerned Trump might divert funding to build his border wall with Mexico. They also want far tougher requirements so as to provide better medical and housing conditions for migrant children detained by the United States.

"If the Senate version only comes back here, it's going to have a difficult time," said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ).

The growing humanitarian crisis on the Mexico-U.S. came to fever pitch Tuesday afternoon after the release of horrific photos showing the drowned corpses of a father and daughter from El Salvador who drowned trying to cross the turbulent Rio Grande River. Their bodies were found Monday near Matamoros, across the river from Brownsville, Texas.

Schumer said the photograph of the dead father and child, which he held aloft at the Senate, show them "holding on to each other." Schumer said "her tiny head tucked inside his shirt, her arm draped around his neck."

"President Trump I want you to look at this photo," said Schumer. "These are not drug dealers or vagrants or criminals. They are people simply fleeing a horrible situation in their home country for a better life."

The Senate's bipartisan bill provides $4.59 billion in emergency funds for the humanitarian and security crisis at the Mexican border. It allocates $2.88 billion so Health and Human Services can provide safe shelter and care for children. Another $1.1 billion will allow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish migrant care and processing facilities.

Some $220 million is earmarked for the Department of Justice so it can process immigration cases and provide resources to U.S. Marshals Service for care and detention of federal detainees. Some $145 million will go to the U.S. military for missions along the Mexican border