June 12, 2007

Dems Ask Bush For Immigration Help As He Heads To Hill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that he would be willing to schedule more floor debate for a bipartisan immigration compromise after the Senate completes its work on an energy bill, "if we see new cooperation and a clear way forward from the Republican Caucus."

"If we can work out something when we finish this energy bill to complete immigration, I want to do that," Reid said. A second floor debate on immigration would likely push the Senate's scheduled consideration of a defense authorization bill until after the Independence Day recess.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said most Republican senators have "made up their minds" on immigration. But, McConnell added, "I think there's a reasonable number of Republicans who, in the end are likely, unless this compromise gets unraveled in some way, in the end, are likely to help us get it through."

President Bush will meet with Senate Republicans today at their weekly policy luncheon to discuss immigration.

Reid noted that only seven Republicans voted last week for a cloture motion that would end debate and lead the way to a final vote. Twelve Democrats voted with most Republicans against the motion, and Reid indicated it would be difficult to convince those senators to switch their votes. "We've about maxed out at 80 percent" of Democrats supporting the bill, Reid said.

Senate Democratic leaders sent a letter to Bush Monday expressing appreciation for the president's efforts to get an immigration bill through the Senate.

"But we believe it will take stronger leadership by you to ensure the opponents of the bill do not block the path to final passage. Simply put, we need many more than seven Republicans to vote for cloture and final passage of this bill," the letter said.

Republican leaders would be required to triple their number of supporters in order to make up the 15-vote deficit created by last week's failed cloture vote on immigration. Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., indicated on the floor Monday that he supports continued debate on the immigration bill "and a conclusion, if at all possible."

Lott said last week that he could "probably" support the bipartisan compromise as long as it retains its limits on "chain migration."

McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Arlen Specter, R-Pa., both complained Monday about Reid's decision to use the day's floor time for debating a no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. "We ended up taking Friday off and today we're voting on a meaningless resolution," McConnell told reporters.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said Monday that he will attempt to stop Senate leaders from bringing the immigration bill back to the floor. "This idea we can get 10 more amendments, and we're going to jam it through, if that's the plan, I'm going to do everything I can to stop it," he told reporters.

DeMint is one of the more high profile Senate "dissenters" trying to stop the compromise immigration measure from moving forward.

DeMint said he intends to attend the luncheon meeting with Bush today, and he hopes the president will allow border security and employment verification programs to be enacted separately.

Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., one of the architects of the compromise measure, said Monday that the president might be able to convince "persuadable" senators to support the bill. "I think he can certainly shore up people that may be wondering where we're going with this," he said. "Certainly he's not going to persuade Jim DeMint," Martinez added.

Martinez said Republicans are working to whittle some 300 amendments filed by Republicans to the immigration bill.

DeMint dismissed the effort. "The bill's not going to get any better," he said. "So I don't think the amendments we want are going to be approved."

-Fawn Johnson, CongressDaily

Posted at 7:45 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Immigration, President Bush, Senate
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