Border Discussions Still Ongoing

We wrote about the border debate last Wednesday and again on Monday, and those discussions are still ongoing. Roll Call reported Thursday that Representative Kay Granger of Texas, chairwoman of the Republican working group in charge of proposing policy recommendations about the border issues, announced that those recommendations are likely to be released Thursday afternoon.

Representative Matt Salmon of Arizona, also a part of the working group, said that their proposals would closely mirror the legislation released this week by Representative Henry Cuellar and Senator John Cornyn. Representative Salmon said, “We’re trying to move a package that actually changes the dynamic and will get to the president’s desk, that’s what we’re trying to do.” The group is expected to authorize less than half of the President’s requested $3.7 billion, recommend tweaking the 2009 anti-trafficking law to extend illegally migrating minors to be returned home to countries other than Mexico and Canada, and suggest placing the National Guard on the Southwest Border. The proposal will likely not include a reverse of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Executive Order. Representative Salmon said the proposal “probably won’t get to the president’s desk if we include that.”

On Thursday, Speaker of the House John Boehner of Ohio expressed doubts that Congress would approve the President’s funding request before the August recess begins. When asked if he thought it would pass before the recess, Speaker Boehner said, “I would certainly hope so, but I don’t have as much optimism as I would like to have.”

Roll Call – GOP Task Force Member Says Border Crisis Recommendations Will Be Released Thursday

Washington Post – Boehner raises doubts Congress will approve border funding request before August break

Roll Call Guide to Interning

Earlier this week, Roll Call released an online e-book entitled, “Best Intern Ever: How to Ace Your Capitol Hill Internship.”  If you are interning in a political office or plan to start an internship soon, we can’t recommend this guide enough.  The short version of the guide can be found below, but we highly recommend reading the full guide linked on that page.

Hill Navigator: Roll Call’s “Best Intern Ever, Your Guide to Acing Your Internship”