Bill passed in Senate with unanimous consent
U.S. President Barack Obama will sign a bill Friday that provides $600 million in emergency funding to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Among other things, the bill provides for roughly 1,500 new law enforcement agents, new unmanned aerial vehicles, new forwarding operating bases and $14 million in new communications equipment. The House of Representatives had already approved the measure, and the bill was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent, meaning it didn’t require the return of the entire Senate chamber. GOP leaders had agreed to the maneuver, and the measure has attracted strong support from both Democrats and Republicans. The bill is funded in part by imposing higher fees on personnel companies that bring foreign workers into the United States.