A Border Deal at Last?! Perhaps, for Those of Boundless Optimism.
It would be the first immigration legislation in 37 years, but will it survive the extremists in the House?
A caravan in Oaxaca, Mexico in October headed for the U.S.
Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have come to the realization that something must be done about the torrent of migrants flowing across our southern border. The Senate is working up a bill with the support of both Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Oklahoma Republican James Lankford, the lead negotiator developing the bill, is at work trying to bring along Republicans in both chambers. McConnell says now is the "ideal time" to get a deal on border security. what he calls "the most substantial border security policy in 30 years. This agreement would come not a moment too soon".
But there's a problem. The first legislation to deal with immigration since the Reagan administration over three decades ago may never happen because a single citizen not in government may cause it to fail.
We'll get to that, except to point out that we don't mean the president. In a White House meeting with a number of congressional leaders, Joe Biden was heard to say some three times that he's ready to sign such a bill, much as he dislikes some of it, but provided that it be coupled with further aid to Ukraine.
Republicans have been clamoring for border security for years. What's new is that they are finally lining up to do something about it. A number of Senate Republicans have spoken out. South Dakota's John Thune, the second ranking leader under Mitch McConnell says, “There are a number of pieces in there that are good, conservative border policies that we’ve been trying to get done.” Wishing for more but arguing for compromise, Sen. John Cornyn from Texas says, “But the reality we’re working with is we need to get enough votes in the House, the Senate and a presidential signature.”
Democrats are traditionally more lenient and even welcoming to immigrants, but know that action must be taken to stem the deluge. They realize that the border tsunami is a major negative for Biden going into the election, that strong legal reforms before then will give him a badly needed boost.
HOUSE DENIERS
But then we get to the House where there are a number of holdouts who will not vote for anything short of their extreme … click to read the rest
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