Senate approves $600M border security bill

The Senate passed a $600 million border security bill during a rare recess session Thursday, sending it to President Obama for his signature.

Because Republicans and Democrats agreed to pass the legislation by unanimous consent, only two senators attended the short session: Democrats Ben Cardin (Md.) and Charles Schumer (N.Y.). Under Senate rules, only two members must be present if legislation is unanimously agreed to by all others.

The Senate was forced to briefly end its recess to pass the bill because of a legislative error made by Schumer, according to GOP spokesman Don Stewart. Schumer attached the measure to a House bill that included revenue raisers. According to the Constitution, such legislation must originate in the House. 

The House passed the legislation in a special session Tuesday, when lawmakers were recalled to Washington to pass a state aid bill. The House also passed the bill after a voice vote and limited debate, setting up the Senate's vote Thursday.

The bill funds more than 1,000 additional federal agents for the southern border and allows the dispatching of unmanned aerial drones to help monitor border crossings.

Immigration has a been contentious issue on the national stage this year, heightened by the passage of Arizona's controversial crack-down law that has brought a court challenge by the Obama administration.

In its brief session, the Senate also approved a resolution honoring the memory of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who died Monday night in a plane crash in southwest Alaska. 

The special session lasted just over 30 minutes.

The Senate is not scheduled to reconvene again until Sept. 13.

-- This post was updated at 10:39 a.m.

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