washington <u+2014> house speaker john boehner said wednesday that senate democrats should "get off their ass" and stop blocking a $40 billion homeland security bill that would derail president obama's immigration programs.









boehner's comments came a day after senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, r-ky., said the senate has reached a stalemate and "the next move obviously is up to the house." senate democrats voted three times last week to block the dhs funding bill from moving forward. they object to house-passed provisions that would cut off all funds to carry out obama's executive orders on immigration.









the two republican leaders seem to be each placing responsibility on the other chamber for what happens next on the funding bill. unless congress acts, funding for the department of homeland security will expire on feb. 27 and the agency will face a partial shutdown.









boehner said the house will not take up a revised bill despite the senate impasse.









"the house has done its job," boehner, r-ohio, said at a news conference after meeting with house republicans. "why don't you go ask the senate democrats when they're going to get off their ass and do something other than to vote 'no'?"









obama announced in november that he would protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to work legally in the u.s. his program would help the undocumented parents of u.s. citizens. it also would expand his 2012 deferred action for childhood arrivals (daca) program, which gives temporary legal status and work permits to undocumented immigrants brought to the usa as children.









the house-passed bill would cut off all funding for the 2012 daca program as well as blocking funds for obama's latest immigration orders. senate democrats say they will only support the dhs funding bill if the immigration provisions are scrapped.









"if congress wants stronger border security and immigration enforcement, a clean funding bill for dhs is what we should be rallying around," said sen. tom carper, d-del., the senior democrat on the senate homeland security committee. "i hope that congress can come together to do the right thing <u+2014> support the passage of a clean, full-year appropriation for the department of homeland security by feb. 27 <u+2014> and then get to work to pass a thoughtful, comprehensive immigration reform bill."









republicans see obama's immigration orders as an unconstitutional power grab and view the dhs funding bill as the best leverage they have to stop them. but senate republicans, who have a 54-vote majority, need 60 votes to advance the dhs funding bill and they have been unable to attract any democrats to their side.









boehner and mcconnell have both said they don't want a shutdown of homeland security, but their options are running out.









there has been talk in both chambers of the possibility of passing a continuing resolution that would keep dhs open and funded at 2014 levels. homeland security secretary jeh johnson has spoken out against that option because it would not allow dhs to hire new secret service agents, buy new surveillance equipment for the southwest border or send certain security grants to states and local governments.
boehner: democrats must 'get off their ass' on dhs bill
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