Posted on 05/22/2014 12:57:47 PM PDT by cotton1706
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid offered to make 2017 the effective date for an immigration overhaul Thursday so Republicans no longer can use President Barack Obama as an excuse not to pass a bill and set an August deadline for the House to act.
Lets pass immigration reform today. Make it take effect in 2017. Republicans dont trust President Obama, Reid said. Lets give them a chance to approve the bill under President Rand Paul or President Theodore Cruz. To be clear, delaying implementation of immigration reform is not my preference. But I feel so strongly that this bill needs to get done, Im willing to show flexibility.
House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, has repeatedly said that most Republicans want to act on immigration but dont trust the president to enforce the law a view he repeated again Thursday.
Reid warned that if Republicans dont take the offer and pass a bill by August, President Barack Obama would go as far as he could to act on his own.
If they dont take our offer, then were going to have to go to the second step, which is not my preference, Reid said. Administrative rules cannot trump legislation but were going to have to do what we have to do as we proved with DACA, he said, referring to Obamas program to grant deportation relief and work permits to young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children.
Reids offer of a 2017 effective date mirrors a suggestion that had been made by Sen. Charles Schumer
In the press conference with Reid, Schumer, Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., and Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., Schumer suggested there was a six-week window for action after Republican primaries on June 10 and before the August break.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.rollcall.com ...
Boy they are just desperate for immigration reform. Therefore, they should not have it!!
We don’t trust you either Harry. The same is true of every other democrat and many republicans.
It has to pass by August so everyone can can register to vote by November mid-terms.
“Why not pass it in the next congress then??”
WoW!! The internals must be really scary to Harry, this smells and looks like desperation.
Harry, may I suggest you just become friends with the monster that’s under your bed...
Yup, we are all for immigration reform in 2017 Harry. Right after the new congress gets sworn in.
You have a problem with that?
When will Harry Reid offer to go out and play in traffic blindfolded?
Does Harry Reid mind if we count votes before he tells us who the next president is going to be?
Bwah hah hah hah hah!
He's as flexible as crow bar.
If he really meant what he’s saying he’d call for President Rand Paul or President “Theodore” Cruz to write the bill.
And exactly how is that different from how he would act if Congress passed an immigration bill with a 2017 implementation date? He would do everything possible to immediately implement the bad parts, undermine any good parts and curse the Republicans for only giving him nine tenths of the loaf.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.