Today President Donald Trump saw his own party end his hopes of getting an immigration bill before the mid-terms. In the end with a vote of 121-301 today any hopes of seeing an immigration bill that would have funded President Trump’s now famous “Border Wall,” is now history maybe until after the 2018 mid-term elections. Congress didn’t pass a bill that President Trump could even veto or sign.
Early today President Trump tweeted
“HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOULD PASS THE STRONG BUT FAIR IMMIGRATION BILL, KNOWN AS GOODLATTE II, IN THEIR AFTERNOON VOTE TODAY, EVEN THOUGH THE DEMS WON’T LET IT PASS IN THE SENATE. PASSAGE WILL SHOW THAT WE WANT STRONG BORDERS & SECURITY WHILE THE DEMS WANT OPEN BORDERS = CRIME. WIN!.”
The problem was despite the possibility of some bi-partisan support the bill died when the Freedom Caucus would not support provided a t path to citizenship for Dreamers wanted by the Democrats, and in exchange they were willing to give funding to build President Trump’s border wall as well as curbing legal immigration.
House Republicans who have been working with Democrats to get a strong bi-partisan bill were clear that they got very little help or guidance from the White House on what kind of bill if any that President Trump would sign.
They felt conceding to the Democrats on the issue of included a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. In exchange for stronger immigration laws and the funding for the wall would be a winner.
It was the same deal that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) worked out with President Trump only to have him change in mind causing a weekend government shutdown in March.
The bill was killed by the another riff between the Freedom Caucus and moderate Republican who feel that every time they have a deal that the conservative group moves the goal posts on them.
So, now it looks like immigration will be added to the long list of mid-term election topics that will craft the races nationwide with the Congress and the Senate up for grabs.
