WSJ Editorial on GOP: Marching 'Into Another Box Canyon...Heading Toward a Shutdown'

Speaker Boehner and Congressional Republicans have exhausted all of their obstructive and dysfunctional immigration strategies that, according to the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, they are…

…off to a less than flying start after a month in power, dividing their own conference more than Democrats.  Take the response to President Obama's immigration order, which seems headed for failure if not a more spectacular crack-up.

The Republican leadership funded the rest of the government in December's budget deal but isolated the Department of Homeland Security that enforces immigration law.  DHS funding runs out this month, and the GOP has now marched itself into another box canyon.

…immigration restrictionists…wanted a larger brawl, and they browbeat GOP leaders into adding needless policy amendments.

The House even adopted a provision to roll back Mr. Obama's 2012 order deferring deportation for…dreamers…  The overall $40 billion DHS spending bill passed with these riders…This lack of GOP unity reduced the chances that Senate Democrats would feel any political pressure to go along…  And, lo, on Thursday the House bill failed for the third time to gain the 60 votes needed to overcome the third Democratic filibuster in three days.

Restrictionists like Sens. Ted Cruz and Jeff Sessions are offering their familiar advice to fight harder and hold firm against "executive amnesty," but as usual their strategy for victory is nowhere to be found.  So Republicans are now heading toward the same cul de sac that they did on the ObamaCare government shutdown.

If Homeland Security funding lapses on Feb. 27, the agency will be pushed into a partial shutdown even as the terrorist threat is at the forefront of public attention with the Charlie Hebdo and Islamic State murders.  Imagine if the Transportation Security Administration, a unit of DHS, fails to intercept an Islamic State agent en route to Detroit.

So Republicans are facing what is likely to be another embarrassing political retreat and more intra-party recriminations.  The GOP's restrictionist wing will blame the leadership for a failure they share responsibility for, and the rest of America will wonder anew about the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

Funding DHS during these dangerous times is essential.  Americans are learning day by day of the impact of another Republican Shutdown, and urge the GOP: #DontShutDownOurSecurity!  Speaker Boehner, there are only 19 days until your Party shuts down the Department of Homeland Security.  It's time to pass a clean funding bill and remove this threat immediately.