Vote-A-Rama and the War Powers Act. Wanda Halbert’s quest for a recount. Lamar Alexander on ‘Newt’s World’
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., speaks as Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., right, and President Donald Trump listen before Trump signs a memorandum in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo file)
Before dawn on Friday, June 5, in the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Senate approved $70 billion in funding for federal immigration agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.
The 52 to 47 vote, with Tennessee Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty voting yes as part of the majority, ended a political drama that began with a closely divided House and Senate approving more funding for DHS earlier this year.
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D.C. Scorecard Marsha Blackburn Bill Hagerty Steve Cohen David Kustoff Immigration 2026 elections Capitol Insurrection John DeBerry Anthony Buckner Lamar Alexander Wanda Halbert vote recount Jamita Swearengen Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
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