After much time wasting, sanity prevailed and a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security was averted, thanks in part to 75 brave Republicans. It is not often that credit is given to those GOP lawmakers with rationality and reason, but after constantly lumping them too often as “Republican bad apples,” it’s important in this column to let readers know of the more than six dozen who stood tall and let sanity prevail March 3 with a House vote of 257-167.
Below is the full list of House Republicans who voted for a DHS spending bill without any of the immigration-related concessions that many in their own party had demanded for months. These men and women deserve an applause and to be recognized here individually, so here goes:
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Daniel Joseph “Dan” Benishek
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Mike Bishop
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John Boehner
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Mike Bost
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Mo Brooks
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Vernon G. “Vern” Buchanan
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Kenneth Stanton “Ken” Calvert
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John Carter
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Michael “Mike” Coffman
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Thomas Jeffery “Tom” Cole
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Christopher Carl “Chris” Collins
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Barbara Comstock
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Ryan Costello
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Carlos Curbelo
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Rodney Lee Davis
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Jeffrey John “Jeff” Denham
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Charles W. “Charlie” Dent
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Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart Caballero
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Robert James “Bob” Dold Jr.
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Renee Jacisin Ellmers
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Tom Emmer
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Michael G. “Mike” Fitzpatrick
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Rodney Procter Frelinghuysen
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Christopher P. “Chris” Gibson
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Kay Granger
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Frank Guinta
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Richard L. Hanna
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Cresent Hardy
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Joseph John “Joe” Heck
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Will Hurd
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David Wilson Jolly
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John Michael Katko
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Peter King
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Adam Daniel Kinzinger
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John Paul Kline Jr.
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Steve Knight
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Leonard J. Lance
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Frank Alo LoBiondo
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Tom MacArthur
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Kevin Owen McCarthy
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Michael Thomas McCaul Sr.
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Patrick McHenry
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Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers
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Martha McSally
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Patrick Leo “Pat” Meehan
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Candice Miller
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John Moolenaar
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Patrick Murphy
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Kristi Lynn Noem
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Devin Gerald Nunes
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Erik Paulsen
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Robert Pittenger
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Joseph R. “Joe” Pitts
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Bruce Lee Poliquin
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David George “Dave” Reichert
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Hal Rogers
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
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Edward Randall “Ed” Royce
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Paul Ryan
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Stephen Joseph “Steve” Scalise
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Aaron Jon Schock
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John Mondy Shimkus
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Michael Keith “Mike” Simpson
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Christopher Henry “Chris” Smith
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Elise M. Stefanik
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Steven Ernst “Steve” Stivers
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Glenn “GT” Thompson
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Patrick Joseph “Pat” Tiberi
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Dave Trott
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Michael R. “Mike” Turner
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Frederick Stephen “Fred” Upton
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David G. Valadao
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Gregory Paul Walden
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Mimi Walters
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Todd Young
All 182 Democrats present voted for the bill, which thankfully funds the Homeland Security Department through Sept. 30 or until the end of the budget year. So we can now breathe a sigh of relief that our nation will remain protected instead of being left open to the many mad men running high on Islamic State propaganda.
Now the ball is in U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s court to also let sanity prevail and do right by many upstanding undocumented immigrants. Hanen has the important task this week to decide whether he will put on hold his prior decision to block the White House’s executive orders on immigration or at least limit the impact to Texas.
The administration asked Hanen for a decision on a stay on his order they requested last month by March 9.
The Justice Department will take its request to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to ensure the stay that will reverse, or partially reverse, Hanen’s injunction of Feb. 17. This would allow eligible immigrants to apply for benefits, including work permits, while the appeals process plays out in higher courts over the next several months. It is what is urgently needed.
Hanen holds the future of these immigrants literally in his hands, and one can only pray he eventually does right by them within the scope of the power given to him by the Constitution—not a party! It is also incumbent now that the 75 sane Republicans within the Congress begin to pursue action that will reform the country’s immigration laws during their watch while aiding some 11 million-plus immigrants within the borders and closing it thereafter.
No one can argue with that strategy, and it will undoubtedly auger well for them come next year. It’s time to put country over party and let progress ensue by learning the math of the changing demographics of America.
The writer is CMO of Hard Beat Communications, which owns the brands News Americas Now, CaribPR Wire and Invest Caribbean Now.