Boehner Stalls Immigration Bill Citing Lack of Trust in Obama
By Michael C. Bender February 06, 2014 - Business Week
House Speaker John Boehner speaks during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 6, 2014. Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images
House Speaker John Boehner said it will be difficult to pass an immigration bill because fellow Republicans dont trust President Barack Obama to implement the law, a position that shrinks chances for House action this year.
Theres widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws, Boehner told reporters in Washington today. Its going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.
While Boehner tries to shift blame to Obama, many House Republicans are wary of engaging in a policy debate that divides the party and risks overshadowing their focus on criticizing the presidents health-care law.
The election-year distraction was the toughest argument from House Republicans opposed to advancing immigration bills, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said at a Bloomberg Government breakfast this week. So far, Republican leaders, including Boehner, havent publicly offered an argument about how theyd keep the party together on the issue.
The conversations that need to take place arent taking place, said Representative Devin Nunes, a California Republican who favors a comprehensive immigration measure. Its going to be really difficult at this point.
Raised Expectations
Boehner a week ago released a framework for immigration revisions that raised expectations that Congress may come to an agreement this year. The framework was welcomed by Obama and Senator Charles Schumer, the chambers No. 3 Democrat, though it dropped a number of aspects of the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate last year.
The loudest opposition came from Boehners fellow Republicans.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican facing a primary challenge, said this week there was an irresolvable conflict on immigration. Representative Raul Labrador, an Idaho Republican aligned with the Tea Party movement, said an immigration push this year should cost Boehner his post.
Its a mistake for us to have an internal battle in the Republican Party this year about immigration reform, Labrador told reporters yesterday, adding that the policy was one of the first things we should do next year.
Take Time
Asked about Boehners comments, White House press secretary Jay Carney said today that immigration policies take time.
There is a genuine recognition among leaders of the Republican Party that this is the right thing to do for our economy, Carney told reporters. There is a strong conservative case to be made for passing comprehensive immigration reform.
Schumer told reporters that he was not thrown back by Speaker Boehners statement.
I would urge Speaker Boehner to keep working at it, Schumer said.
The Service Employees International Union, a labor group that mostly backs Democrats, said Boehners comments show his party has disdain for the views of Latino, Asian and young voters.
Republicans have a choice: they can pander to a small, extremist arm of the GOP and follow them into the political wilderness or they can do the right thing for our nation and pass immigration reform, SEIU Vice President Rocio Saenz said in a statement.
...
Troubled Rollout
Boehner said the distrust for Obama stems from the presidents actions on the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the biggest revision to the health-care system since the 1960s. The troubled rollout of Obamacares health exchanges helped Republicans improve their approval ratings in opinion polls, after voters largely blamed the party for a 16-day partial government shutdown in October.
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Boehner Stalls Immigration Bill Citing Lack of Trust in Obama - Businessweek
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Looks like the GOP is serving-up some payback for their defeat in attempting to repeal ObamaCare.
By Michael C. Bender February 06, 2014 - Business Week
House Speaker John Boehner speaks during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 6, 2014. Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images
House Speaker John Boehner said it will be difficult to pass an immigration bill because fellow Republicans dont trust President Barack Obama to implement the law, a position that shrinks chances for House action this year.
Theres widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws, Boehner told reporters in Washington today. Its going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.
While Boehner tries to shift blame to Obama, many House Republicans are wary of engaging in a policy debate that divides the party and risks overshadowing their focus on criticizing the presidents health-care law.
The election-year distraction was the toughest argument from House Republicans opposed to advancing immigration bills, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said at a Bloomberg Government breakfast this week. So far, Republican leaders, including Boehner, havent publicly offered an argument about how theyd keep the party together on the issue.
The conversations that need to take place arent taking place, said Representative Devin Nunes, a California Republican who favors a comprehensive immigration measure. Its going to be really difficult at this point.
Raised Expectations
Boehner a week ago released a framework for immigration revisions that raised expectations that Congress may come to an agreement this year. The framework was welcomed by Obama and Senator Charles Schumer, the chambers No. 3 Democrat, though it dropped a number of aspects of the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate last year.
The loudest opposition came from Boehners fellow Republicans.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican facing a primary challenge, said this week there was an irresolvable conflict on immigration. Representative Raul Labrador, an Idaho Republican aligned with the Tea Party movement, said an immigration push this year should cost Boehner his post.
Its a mistake for us to have an internal battle in the Republican Party this year about immigration reform, Labrador told reporters yesterday, adding that the policy was one of the first things we should do next year.
Take Time
Asked about Boehners comments, White House press secretary Jay Carney said today that immigration policies take time.
There is a genuine recognition among leaders of the Republican Party that this is the right thing to do for our economy, Carney told reporters. There is a strong conservative case to be made for passing comprehensive immigration reform.
Schumer told reporters that he was not thrown back by Speaker Boehners statement.
I would urge Speaker Boehner to keep working at it, Schumer said.
The Service Employees International Union, a labor group that mostly backs Democrats, said Boehners comments show his party has disdain for the views of Latino, Asian and young voters.
Republicans have a choice: they can pander to a small, extremist arm of the GOP and follow them into the political wilderness or they can do the right thing for our nation and pass immigration reform, SEIU Vice President Rocio Saenz said in a statement.
...
Troubled Rollout
Boehner said the distrust for Obama stems from the presidents actions on the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the biggest revision to the health-care system since the 1960s. The troubled rollout of Obamacares health exchanges helped Republicans improve their approval ratings in opinion polls, after voters largely blamed the party for a 16-day partial government shutdown in October.
...
Boehner Stalls Immigration Bill Citing Lack of Trust in Obama - Businessweek
=======================================
Looks like the GOP is serving-up some payback for their defeat in attempting to repeal ObamaCare.
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