By Carrie Dann, Political Reporter, NBC News
Seeking momentum for his top second-term legislative priority, President Barack Obama urged Congress Tuesday to pass a comprehensive immigration reform measure before the end of the summer, warning those who would oppose the bill that there is “no good reason to engage in procedural games or obstruction.”
“If you’re serious about actually fixing the system, then this is the vehicle to do it,” he said of the bipartisan bill, which the Senate is expected to take up formally today.
Joined by a broad array of stakeholders and supporters, including AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donahue and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, Obama acknowledged that the Senate bill is a compromise that doesn’t satisfy any group’s needs entirely but represents the “best chance” to repair a broken system.
President Obama says the bipartisan immigration bill that is currently presented before the Senate is the "best chance we had in years to fix our broken immigration system."
“To truly deal with this issue, Congress needs to act,” he added. “And that moment is now.”
The Senate is slated to take its first procedural vote on the legislation at 2:15 pm Tuesday, offering a first tally of the most hardened opponents of the bill. The 60-vote threshold measure will allow the Senate to formally begin debate on the legislation.
But while that initial hurdle is expected to be easily cleared, Republican support for beginning the discussion of the legislation is no guarantee – yet – of the overwhelming bipartisan vote that proponents are hoping to garner when the upper chamber votes on the final bill before the Senate’s July 4 recess.
Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reiterated that he will vote to begin debate but expressed concerns with the bill’s “serious flaws.”
“I'll vote to debate it and for the opportunity to amend it, but in the days ahead there will need to be major changes to this bill if it's going to become law," McConnell said.
Some supporters of the comprehensive immigration reform bill have suggested that passage with upwards of 70 Senate votes would offer the best chance of pushing the bill through the GOP-controlled House, while others believe their margin of victory matters less than maintaining what they see as the strongest possible protections for immigrants aiming to become citizens.
In the weeks to come, backers of the bill will consider various amendments designed to woo more votes, while opponents of the legislation will offer changes designed to gut the current bill’s major tenets – including its provision to allow many undocumented immigrants to pursue legal status and eventual citizenship.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has said he wants additional border security measures included in the legislation, announced Tuesday that he will offer a measure to strengthen the requirements for undocumented immigrants to demonstrate English language skills before earning a green card.
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is one of the most outspoken critics of the bill, said earlier this week that Obama stands in the way of passage of immigration reforms because of his support for citizenship rights for undocumented immigrants – a controversial but foundational piece of the comprehensive reform package.
A Democrat on the Gang of Eight offered a creative diagnosis for Cruz’s opposition Tuesday during an appearance on MNSC’s Daily Rundown.
“I think he has Obamaphobia," said Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey. "The reality is that it is the Gang of Eight that came together — four Democrats, four Republicans — and said that we need a path to citizenship."
This story was originally published on Tue Jun 11, 2013 11:14 AM EDT
Seeking momentum for his top second-term legislative priority, President Barack Obama urged Congress Tuesday to pass a comprehensive immigration reform measure before the end of the summer, warning those who would oppose the bill that there is “no good reason to engage in procedural games or obstruction.”
“If you’re serious about actually fixing the system, then this is the vehicle to do it,” he said of the bipartisan bill, which the Senate is expected to take up formally today.
Joined by a broad array of stakeholders and supporters, including AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donahue and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, Obama acknowledged that the Senate bill is a compromise that doesn’t satisfy any group’s needs entirely but represents the “best chance” to repair a broken system.
President Obama says the bipartisan immigration bill that is currently presented before the Senate is the "best chance we had in years to fix our broken immigration system."
“To truly deal with this issue, Congress needs to act,” he added. “And that moment is now.”
The Senate is slated to take its first procedural vote on the legislation at 2:15 pm Tuesday, offering a first tally of the most hardened opponents of the bill. The 60-vote threshold measure will allow the Senate to formally begin debate on the legislation.
But while that initial hurdle is expected to be easily cleared, Republican support for beginning the discussion of the legislation is no guarantee – yet – of the overwhelming bipartisan vote that proponents are hoping to garner when the upper chamber votes on the final bill before the Senate’s July 4 recess.
Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reiterated that he will vote to begin debate but expressed concerns with the bill’s “serious flaws.”
“I'll vote to debate it and for the opportunity to amend it, but in the days ahead there will need to be major changes to this bill if it's going to become law," McConnell said.
Some supporters of the comprehensive immigration reform bill have suggested that passage with upwards of 70 Senate votes would offer the best chance of pushing the bill through the GOP-controlled House, while others believe their margin of victory matters less than maintaining what they see as the strongest possible protections for immigrants aiming to become citizens.
In the weeks to come, backers of the bill will consider various amendments designed to woo more votes, while opponents of the legislation will offer changes designed to gut the current bill’s major tenets – including its provision to allow many undocumented immigrants to pursue legal status and eventual citizenship.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has said he wants additional border security measures included in the legislation, announced Tuesday that he will offer a measure to strengthen the requirements for undocumented immigrants to demonstrate English language skills before earning a green card.
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is one of the most outspoken critics of the bill, said earlier this week that Obama stands in the way of passage of immigration reforms because of his support for citizenship rights for undocumented immigrants – a controversial but foundational piece of the comprehensive reform package.
A Democrat on the Gang of Eight offered a creative diagnosis for Cruz’s opposition Tuesday during an appearance on MNSC’s Daily Rundown.
“I think he has Obamaphobia," said Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey. "The reality is that it is the Gang of Eight that came together — four Democrats, four Republicans — and said that we need a path to citizenship."
This story was originally published on Tue Jun 11, 2013 11:14 AM EDT