No Compromise on Border Crisis

First Read: “If it wasn’t apparent a week ago, it certainly is now: The chances are slim that Congress passes anything to deal with humanitarian crisis on the border of unaccompanied minors coming into the United States. For starters, President Obama is clearly boxed in. Republicans are demanding that he get his party to back changes to a 2008 law granting additional rights to Central American minors — as a part of any deal for emergency funding.”

“What’s problematic for the White House is that they’ve been on the record in support of changing the ’08 law, but key Democrats aren’t going along. And the White House now seems muted now on the issue. In an election year, the White House has been reluctant to take on its own party. On the other side, it’s not apparent that Boehner would have the votes to pass any border-relief with only Republican support; after all, we can imagine quite a few Republicans who would oppose any border relief. So Congress is stuck. Again.”

Politico: “The border crisis will continue to rage with Congress out of town in the middle of an election season, and the stalemate would provide fresh evidence that Washington’s current configuration is ill-equipped to legislate.”