Intra-Party tensions rise as Boehner calls out Sessions and Cruz by name

House Speaker John Boehner (left) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (right)

WASHINGTON — In a rare move, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Tuesday called out two Senate Republicans by name, bringing to the forefront tensions that have been simmering below the surface for weeks.

“It is time for Senator Cruz and Senator Sessions and Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats to stand with the American people and to block the president’s actions,” Boehner said, contending that the House has “won” the immigration fight against Obama by passing a bill, while the Senate has failed to muster enough support to act.

Sessions has long been one of the most vocal conservatives in the immigration debate. He and Cruz have also both frequently been a thorn in the side of House GOP leadership, who they often believe are prone to giving up too much in negotiations with Democrats.

As chairman of the subcommittee on immigration, Alabama’s junior senator has been adamant that Congress must pass a bill defunding President Obama’s executive actions on immigration while still funding the rest of the Department of Homeland Security. The House passed such a measure three weeks ago. However, 60 votes are needed to pass the legislation in the Senate, so Democrats have been well positioned to block it.

Capitol Hill insiders believe it was Sessions’ opposition to a recent border bill in the House that prompted the Speaker’s statement.

But Boehner aides say the Speaker’s remarks are less of an ultimatum, and more of a reminder that the ball is now in the Senate’s court.

In a statement released Friday, Sen. Sessions urged the Senate to vote Tuesday to open debate on the bill passed by the House.

The House bill fully funds every activity, program, and function of DHS that is authorized by law. It is a clean bill. The only actions it does not fund are those which fall outside the scope of the law…

Any Senator who votes not to begin debate on Tuesday is voting to sacrifice this institution—and their constituents—to imperial command.

However, Democrats derailed the effort Tuesday, keeping Republicans well short of the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the bill.

Sessions had previously believed there were at least 7 Senate Democrats who were reluctant to give the President a pass on going around Congress to issue his executive actions. In the end, not even all the Republicans supported the measure as the vote was only 51-48.

“Are you afraid to say to the President of the United States, ‘we don’t agree with this and we’re not going to fund this?’” Sessions asked rhetorically. “Is that the world we’re in? Are we hiding under our desks that the President may go on television and attack us because we don’t agree with his ideas? Surely not.”