Boehner escapes jam on DHS vote, but more GOP battles loom

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio returns to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2015, as the House votes on funding for the Homeland Security Department without provisions attached to counter President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration. Despite holding the majority in the Senate and the House, Republicans were unable to overcome united opposition from Senate Democrats to the GOP strategy of trying to overturn Obama's immigration plan by linking them to funding for Homeland. They also suffered embarrassing internal divisions that left the country within hours of a partial agency shutdown last week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio returns to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2015, as the House votes on funding for the Homeland Security Department without provisions attached to counter President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration. Despite holding the majority in the Senate and the House, Republicans were unable to overcome united opposition from Senate Democrats to the GOP strategy of trying to overturn Obama's immigration plan by linking them to funding for Homeland. They also suffered embarrassing internal divisions that left the country within hours of a partial agency shutdown last week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By Associated Press March 4, 2015 4 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker John Boehner’s job is safe despite passing yet another big bill that most of his Republican colleagues oppose, as he did Tuesday to avert defunding the Department of Homeland Security.

But Boehner and his leadership team appear destined to confront fratricidal fights for months to come. The friction exposes deep GOP ideological differences as the 2016 presidential campaign gets under way.

For all the Washington chatter of a possible Republican coup against Boehner – the perpetually tanned, cigarette-smoking deal-maker from Ohio – few lawmakers gave it credence Tuesday.

“It would take Democrat cooperation to do that, which is never going to happen,” said Rep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, a frequent critic of Republican leaders. The mere subject, he said, “is irrelevant.”

GOP Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona said he, too, opposed the bill advanced by his party’s leaders, “but I’m not mad at them.”