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Senate passes border aid bill, rejects House version

By Daniel Uria
The Senate passed its own border aid bill on Wednesday, while leaders in both chambers of Congress have said they won't negotiate their bills. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
The Senate passed its own border aid bill on Wednesday, while leaders in both chambers of Congress have said they won't negotiate their bills. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

June 26 (UPI) -- The Senate passed a border aid bill on Wednesday after rejecting a version passed by the House on Tuesday evening.

The Republican-led Senate voted 84-8 to approve the supplemental border funding bill that provides $4.6 billion in emergency funds to various agencies to address the humanitarian and security issues at the U.S.-Mexico border.

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It includes $2.88 billion for Health and Human Services for shelter and care for children in custody, $1.1 billion for Customs and Border Protection to establish migrant care and processing facilities, $220 million to help the Justice Department process immigration cases and provide resources for U.S. Marshals Service to care for federal detainees, and $145 million for military missions along the border.

Wednesday's bill comes on the heels of a similar measure passed by the House that would provide $934.5 million for processing facilities, food, water, sanitary items and medical services and $886 million for reducing the reliance on influx shelters to house children as well as $9 million to speed up the process to place children with sponsors.

The opposing bills have split the chambers with leaders in the House and Senate saying they won't negotiate differences in the bills.

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"They passed their bill, we respect that. We passed our bill, we hope they respect that," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called the House bill "a go-nowhere proposal filled with poison-pill riders which the president would veto.

Trump had previously said he would veto the House bill and said Wednesday he hopes the House and Senate can "get something done."

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