Thom Tillis isn’t sorry about opposing a minimum wage increase, but he hopes restaurant employees will find comfort by keeping their hands smeared with poop all day. As a nod to Rand Paul, we hope the next “To Kill A Mockingbird” installment details Boo Radley’s lifelong battle with the side effects of a vaccination. And snark all you will about Aaron Schock’s baroque Hill office, but we had a most illuminating discussion about L’esprit des lois with Montesquieu during the congressman’s last salon. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015:
Rand Paul’s super Aqua Buddha-tastic response to the controversy over his vaccine comments: “I did not say vaccines caused disorders, just that they were temporally related — I did not allege causation.”
DHS FUNDING: SENATE DEMS DUST OFF THEIR FILIBUSTER – Elise Foley: “Senate Democrats blocked a bill on Tuesday that would have funded the Department of Homeland Security while gutting key Obama administration immigration policies, including one that keeps undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from being deported. The bill failed in a 51 to 48 vote…The two GOP ‘nay’ votes were Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who voted against moving forward so he could bring the bill for a vote again, and Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.). Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) did not vote. No Democrats voted for moving to a full debate on the bill. Congress needs to approve funding for DHS by the end of February to avoid an agency shutdown, but is currently at an impasse over whether to do so without measures to block President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.” [HuffPost]
Two can play at this game: “Before the Senate voted Tuesday against proceeding on a House-passed Homeland Security Department funding bill, Boehner called on Senate conservative firebrands to help pass the measure, loaded with provisions blocking President Obama’s immigration policy. At the same time, he and his lieutenants took aim at vulnerable Senate Democrats, daring them to vote ‘no.’ … Boehner’s subtle jab at the two senators betrays an increasing frustration among House Republicans with GOP senators pushing the House to pass legislation they do not have the votes to pass in the Senate.” [National Journal]
–
@blakehounshell: If you guessed that the biggest Internet stories of the day today would be Harper Lee and Argentina, congratulations.
@LOLGOP: Republicans mad at Democrats because two of their 2016 frontrunners spouted anti-vaccination junk. Sorry, party of personal responsibility!
@RepMarkTakano: Does his Chief of Staff answer to “Carson”? MT @bterris: Rep. Schock decorated his office like Downton Abbey.
Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e
