TIME
By Alex Rogers
April 29, 2014
House
Speaker John Boehner doesn't seem to be pushing his members to pass an
immigration reform bill, despite earlier signals to the contrary
House
Republican leaders have repeatedly let a few rays of hope shine on the
prospect of passing an immigration reform bill this year, only to
quickly close the door and
draw the blinds. They did it again Tuesday.
Last
week in his home district, House Speaker John Boehner chided members of
his conference for their resistance to passing a reform bill. “Here’s
the attitude: ‘Ohhhh.
Don’t make me do this,’” he said and squirmed to laughter while
speaking at a local rotary club. “’Ohhhh. This is too hard.’”
The
comments, after leaders unveiled a set of immigration reform principles
in January and Boehner reportedly told donors at a Las Vegas fundraiser
last month that he
was “hell-bent” on passing a bill this year, seemed to indicate that he
was pressing his Republican to finally move on the issue. The Senate
passed a comprehensive package last summer.
But
returning to Capitol Hill on Monday after a two-week recess, Boehner
changed his tune in a meting with his conference. “That was the first
thing that he addressed,”
Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) said. “He probably went a little too far. He
was really more kidding around than anything.”
Fleming
said that Boehner did not mention passing an immigration bill this
year, and explicitly stated the House would not go to a conference
committee to reconcile differences
with the Senate’s bill, which provides a path to citizenship for
immigrants in the country illegally. Two House Republicans from
Illinois, Reps. Aaron Schock and Adam Kinzinger, said last week that
they support some sort of legal status for undocumented immigrants.
“There
was no mocking, you all know me,” said Boehner during a news conference
at Republican National Committee headquarters near the Capitol on
Tuesday. “You tease the
ones you love.”
Repeating
a line that Republicans have used for months, Boehner said his party
can’t trust President Barack Obama as a partner on immigration reform
because of how the
Administration has implemented health care reform law. Asked if there’s
a bloc of intractable members in his conference, Boehner responded: “I
also make clear that the 38 changes that the President has made to
Obamacare, the 38 delays in Obamacare are some
of the root of the problem that we’re dealing with.”
“I
think our conference frankly wants to see the rule of law enforced, and
that’s really been at the heart of these other issues that we’re trying
to resolve,” said Louisiana
Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who chairs a group of the conference’s
most conservative members. Scalise added that Republicans have been
“fairly divided” on the issue.
Rep.
Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), one of the most outspoken Republicans in
favor of immigration reform, said that if the conference doesn’t put
something forward this year,
Obama will take it upon himself through forms of executive action.
“I
think if we don’t fix the situation, I think the President will
probably act unilaterally,” he said. “And when that happens, there is no
room for negotiations.
“It’s got to be this year,” he added. “If it doesn’t happen this year, I don’t think it happens for I think a few years.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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