Posted on 06/14/2007 3:55:45 PM PDT by Alaphiah123
Key senators tentatively agreed on a plan to revive a stalled immigration bill on Thursday, aided by President Bush's support for a quick $4.4 billion aimed at "securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site."
Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Republican and Democratic supporters of the bill were presenting their proposal to the Senate's top two leaders, who in turn arranged an early evening meeting to discuss it.
Precise details to be presented to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were not disclosed.
In general, according to officials familiar with the discussions, Republicans and Democrats would each be accorded roughly a dozen chances to amend the measure, with the hope that they would then combine to provide the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster by die-hard opponents. The officials who described the emerging plan did so on condition of anonymity, saying the negotiations had been conducted in private.
The legislation has generated intense controversy, particularly for provisions envisioning eventual citizenship for many of the estimated 12 million immigrants now in the country unlawfully. The bill also calls for greater border security and a crackdown on the hiring of illegal employees.
"We're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept," Bush said, two days after launching a personal rescue mission.
Any agreement is subject to approval by Reid, who has said repeatedly it is up to Bush and Republicans to line up the votes needed to advance the measure if it is to be brought back to the Senate for debate. Reid, who has expressed misgivings about elements of the bill, sidetracked it last week after supporters gained only 45 of the 60 votes needed.
Republicans accounted for only seven of the 45 votes, and Reid said earlier this week, "We'll move on to immigration when they have their own act together."
Bush's decision to personally announce support for the accelerated funding reflected concerns expressed by Republican senators at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Several told him their constituents doubted the government was capable of following through on a commitment to enforce immigration laws.
In a letter sent to Bush before the meeting, Georgia Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson wrote, "This lack of trust is rooted in the mistakes made in 1986, and the continued chaos surrounding our immigration laws. Understandably, the lack of credibility the federal government has on this issue gives merit to the skepticism of many about future immigration reform."
Under the legislation as drafted, money for border enforcement would be collected gradually as illegal immigrants pay the fines and fees needed to achieve legal status. The letter asked Bush to secure the border before other elements of the immigration measure go into effect, and the president agreed in his remarks to the Associated Builders and Contractors.
"One common concern is whether the government will provide the resources to meet the goals in the bill. They say, 'It's fine to talk about it, are you actually going to do something?'" he said.
"To answer these concerns I support an amendment that will provide $4.4 billion in immediate additional funding for securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site," he said.
"By matching our benchmarks with these critical funds, we're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept."
Two Republican supporters of the legislation, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jon Kyl of Arizona, had previously proposed advanced funding.
"The moment the presidential signing pen meets the paper these funds will be available," Graham said in a statement welcoming Bush's remarks.
But Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., an opponent of the legislation, took a different view. "I appreciate the effort to fund border security, but there's simply no reason why we should be forced to tie amnesty to it. If the administration was serious about fulfilling the border security promises, then this funding should have been supported all along, not offered at the last minute to attract votes to a bad bill."
Even a decision to return the bill to the Senate floor does not guarantee its passage, given the intense opposition. "We've got people out there on both sides really ready to burn the place down," said Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the second-ranking Republican. "I don't think we ought to let that happen."
The calendar, too, presents obstacles to any attempt to pass the measure before the Senate begins a scheduled vacation in two weeks. Should they choose, critics of the immigration measure could slow progress on other measures Reid wants debated in the next two weeks. The effect would be to further reduce prospects for passage of the immigration bill.
So sad because he used to have a mind of his own.
sw
ANY talk of amendments to the current bill is worthless.
ONLY a sperate bill that is identical in both chambers of Congress where all the hijinx will fail is worth the paper its written on.
“I just have three words I would like to say to the U.S. Senate Bring it on.”
They didnt work for Bush in 2003 and they won’t work for us.
This is an act of utter stupidity on the part of the Republican leaders like Lott, Kyl and McConnell. They should be cutting the RINOs loose and hanging it up on this bad bill.
I am appalled.
I have no desire to see hin humiliated. He has an out if he chooses to take it. All he has to do is say, I understand. Let’s get this fence built , then I want to talk to yall about the illegals.
It’s tough to lead the Senate. Ask Reid.
It’s a lot easier to play defense.
“Since my two senators of Dumbocrats, I just sent emails urging opposition to Senators Kyl, Graham (no hope), McConnell, Cochrane, Allard, Coleman, and Corker.”
INEFFECTIVE. Allard, Coleman and Corker have been voting on the right side of the issue here. You are better off being clear and plain: NO LEGALIZATION FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS.
For that he deserves a humiliating defeat.
These guys deserve our respect and support. Not only now but when they come up for election.
My donations that used to go to the RNC will instead be going to support PRO-AMERICAN Senators & Representatives that fight for AMERICA and fight against the treasonous beltway bastards.
I'm really tired tonight, and I can't follow your logic?
Sorry, but Antonio Nieve has advocated this as long as I remember hearing on his radio show.
“I believe they don’t care about our threats because they think their new best (illegal) friends will vote for them en masse and they won’t need us.”
At that point our options are sadly quite limited.
In terms of citizenship - I would much rather accept larger numbers of hard working predominantly Catholic, hardworking people than wind up with the immigration issues of the UK and France!! No free pass, but a fair orderly process. That being the case, I think the political model could become much more like the Cuban population is Florida - predominantly republican. If all they know and all they hear is that democrats try to protect and safeguard them and republicans oppose them, then what do you think the initial tendency will be? Do any of you know very many 2nd or 3rd generation Mexican families that are not successful? Once successful, you really think they will be democrats? Did they just elect Calderon or Obrador?
Enough unthinking gut reactions people - try using a little reasoning. I’m as conservative as they get, but I also own a business with 65 employees and the system, as it is now, is not at all fair to the small business who does follow the letter of the law. Out of every 100 applications we get, only 2 or 3 are legal - we need to spend money and time to find this out. We need to compete with companies who do utilize illegal help - again not fair at all. Yet we are targeted by racist people who assume that since we have over half of our employees being Hispanic, that we hire illegals. This is simply racist hate-mongering as every single employee we hire is carefully screened and is either a US citizen or is here with a work visa.
Many people who haven’t dealt with this type of bigotry cannot comprehend it, but it exists and is certainly not representative of this great country of ours. We have and always will welcome immigrants. We have hundreds of thousands of open jobs just in the Southwest. We can’t keep raising wages to attract employees when the system allows others to utilize illegal help - the screening/ID issue is the single biggest issue for all immigration/border issues. If people can be positively ID’ed and screened then the illegal employers can be hit and hit hard. If there aren’t jobs for undocumented people - there won’t be undocumented people - simple supply and demand!!
Too many of you are way to narrow-minded in your perception, consider the overall issue here.
They don’t represent the interests of the country or the public in any event.
Fotflol
“Wish the White House or at least Tony Snow read FR.”
I’m sure they do. But I don’t think it matters one little bit.
The GOP has already decided that conservatives aren’t worth the grief. The GOP longs for the days prior to 1980 when it was a carefully protected minority party. It allowed the Democrats to rule, and was rewarded with it’s ample share of the spoils. The GOP is simply reinstating the same arrangement that existed prior to 1980.
Sessions has already publicly stated that he'll use whatever procedural tactics that are available to stop the bill and I believe him. He also said other senators are prepared to do so as well.
Lott has consistently demonstrated his ineptitude. Giving him a leadership role in the Senate is like evidencing a death wish.
hehehe!
“Kennedy, Durbin, et al, said medical and social services required for the immigrants would be paid “out of fees and fines collected through the path to citizenship program and the guest-worker program”.”
Ho, ho, ho - ha, ha, ha - hee, hee, hee. Yeah, right!
Wish that Sessions was Minority Leader rather than McConnell.
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