Posted on 06/20/2006 3:56:34 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
GOP leaders: No immigration bill this year
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 33 minutes ago
In a defeat for President Bush, Republican congressional leaders said Tuesday that broad immigration legislation is all but doomed for the year, a victim of election-year concerns in the House and conservatives' implacable opposition to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
"Our number one priority is to secure the border, and right now I haven't heard a lot of pressure to have a path to citizenship," said Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., announcing plans for an unusual series of hearings to begin in August on Senate-passed immigration legislation.
"I think it is easy to say the first priority of the House is to secure the borders," added Rep. Roy Blunt (news, bio, voting record), the GOP whip.
In deference to the president, neither Hastert nor any other Republican official in either house said publicly that the president's ambitious plan — including a guest worker program as well as an opportunity for citizenship for many illegal immigrants — was dead for the year.
But several Republicans in both houses, speaking on condition of anonymity, were less guarded.
"There will be no path to citizenship," said one lawmaker who attended a strategy session in Hastert's office.
Some officials added that Republicans have begun discussing a pre-election strategy for seizing the political high ground on an issue that so far has served to highlight divisions within the party. Among the possibilities, these officials said, are holding votes in the House or Senate this fall on additional measures to secure the borders, or on legislation that would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving Social Security payments or other government benefits.
"The discussion is how to put the Democrats in a box without attacking the president,"
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
"There are plenty of laws on the books now you people need to enforce. Forget the bill, do your jobs."
We do, and they were purposely not enforced or underfunded so Bush could present himself as not the inflamer of the crisis but the solver of it. The House bill increases the penalties. The Senate bill is radical. An amnesty plus new wage depression programs would have little chance of passing unless coupled with provisions seemingly promising security.
Don't need a border enforcement bill. Just do it.
I hope they continue to display sanity concerning this issue. It's about time some of our elected officials acted sane concerning illegal immigration. Seems to me that the bulk of our senators have lost their minds.
Better this than new bad laws. I know it's a little extreme and just one of my wilder ideas, but why couldn't we start actually enforcing the laws we already have on the books?
He won't.
Ding Dong the Senate bill is dead, the wicked bill is dead!
You will be glad to read this thread
More like the Republicans saved his @$$. If this abomination had passed, there would be a Democrat House, and the investigations and impeachment hearings would begin shortly after.
conservatives' implacable opposition to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
Yeah, we're such a bunch of heartless pr!cks. We just refuse to reward anyone for breaking the law.
The mindless hate for the President by some supposedly "Conservative" Freepers sounds exactly like the same ranting that comes out of Moveon.org stoodges. Why is it their posts ALWAYS sound just like a Democrat's Hate Bush Always rant?
Thought you might like to see this
To quote Colonel Trautman in "First Blood":
"Its Over Johnny,Its Over".
Ping
ping for later
"sanity I think prevailed.........."
Until after the election...then they will do us in.
I do have to agree with you. We do need to be on guard.
Fred, as you remember was the last pundit proping up Harriet Miers folded under pressure. Fred is just an unpaid White House mouth piece. He does as he is told.
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