Boehner rules out immigration reform this year
Washington (CNN) - If there were any doubts that comprehensive immigration reform efforts were dead on Capitol Hill this year, House Speaker John Boehner eliminated them on Wednesday.
Boehner repeated his long standing opposition to the Senate-passed immigration bill and his pledge the House would never vote on it, but he went a step further, drawing a bright line: "I'll make clear we have no intention ever of going to conference on the Senate bill."
Last week the third ranking House Republican, GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-California, told immigration reform advocates that there wasn't enough time left this year for the House to take up immigration reform. The House is in session 15 days between now and the end of the year.
After Republicans lost the presidential election in 2012 and Hispanic voters voted overwhelmingly for President Obama, Boehner said it was time for Congress to pass major immigration reforms.
"I think a comprehensive approach is long overdue. And I’m confident that the president, myself, others can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all," Boehner said in an interview with ABC News the week after the election.
Facing sharp divisions inside his conference on the issue, Boehner insists he still wants action but says any legislation has to be done in pieces.
"I want us to deal with this issue but I want to deal with it in a common sense step by step way," he said Wednesday.
A series of targeted immigration bills have passed the House Judiciary Committee - mostly focused on border security and enforcement - but GOP leaders have not scheduled any floor votes on any of them.
A significant bloc of House conservatives is adamantly opposed to any measure that provides a path to citizenship or legal status for the 11 million undocumented workers in the United States. So far, none of the House GOP proposals addresses that issue, but opponents worry that any negotiation with the Senate would ratchet up pressure on House Republicans to deal with questions of citizenship.
Boehner's statement Wednesday declaring no talks with the Senate on its bill was designed to put those concerns to rest.
The Speaker brushed aside a question of whether House GOP leaders were avoiding the divisive debate on immigration reform to focus on problems with the implementation of Obamacare.
"This is about trying to do this in a way that the American people and our members can absorb," Boehner said, adding immigration reform is too complicated to rush.
"There are hundreds of issues involved in dealing with immigration reform, and we've got to deal with these in a common sense way where our members understand what we're doing and their constituents understand."
Republicons cheering for deportation, poor kids starving, and Americans not having health insurance.....and they consider those things victories.........
Not very big at multi-tasking are they?
Today I told my boss I wasn't going to do any work until next year.
The Senator's name says it ALL ! !
It makes perfectly good sense to me. I support immigration reform. I support the derailment of this bill. Unless we secure the border we deal with the same problem again. We've dealt with it before. Healthcare reform should have been passed in smaller parts.
10 Million people have to be tracked and progress documented as milestones are met to achieve citizenship over several years. How much does the program cost? How is the program going to be paid for? Illegal immigration continues and compounds the problem. What if current laws were followed more rigidly?
No, he is not a "tinhorn dictator." The US government gave tacit and otherwise kinds of support, for decades. With our support, they overthrew elected governments In: Guatemala (Arbenz), Chile (Allende), Peru (Fujimori), The Philippines (Marcos) Cuba (Batista), Haiti (Duvalier), etc.
Boehner, and his ilk will likely be re-elected. And if the Repubs don't reclaim the WH in the next (it does appear unlikely) federal election, they will don the martyrdom cloak, and claim a conspiracy.
Most people ignore the fact that blacks and minorities did not get Obama elected; even though the overwhelming majority voted for him (not I, I don't support war-mongers). It was in fact the strong support from women which did it.
In fact, whether the immigration "Issue" is "solved" or not, it is logistically impossible to round up and deport 11 million people. And, though outcasts, they have become part of the American fabric. The capitalist power structure, regards their presence favorably. For they provide a work force which is so desperate, it will work for substandard wages, and not complain about conditions. Which undermines the domestic workforce who, blames them for the conditions. Guess who laughs all the way to the bank?
Boehner is the president
@Ratt: "Hey Robert Smith, why don't you use that spin to tell all the construction workers, truck drivers, heavy equipment operators, carpenters, brick layers, sheet rockers, painters, plumbers, concrete workers, asphalt layers, roofers, landscapers, yard workers and carpet layers who have lost their jobs to Illegal Mexicans. Not everybody lives in the land of fruits and nuts out in Mexifornia."
Why aren't you angry with all the (mostly) White Americans who laid off all those workers to hire illegals at low wages without benefits?
Huh? WHY AREN'T YOU ANGRY AT THEM?!?!?!?!?!? You don't have the stones to accept the reality that the people who are trying to turn you against illegal immigrants are the very same ones who've been hiring them.
Boy, you repubs are THICK!
they think they are going to win the presidential elections ajajajajajaj they are filling enemies latinos and asians all against republicans and you know what obama is going to do now passing a legislative bill just like the dreamers to at least gave them a work permit, poor republicans they won't get another election for a long time.
Less we forget that Reagan and Bush Sr. amnesty let millions of illegals become US citizens setting the standard for millions more to enter and wait their turn for the next amnesty. This type of immigration destroyed US jobs, added to welfare and the biggest drain of money next to Bush's lies to invade Iraq. Republicans destroyed this country and they fail to accept it. Bush left a mess that anyone taking over after him would be screwed and tattooed. Now they have traitors like Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee what want to finish where Bush left off.
How come I can't ask for a 15 days off from my job, but these slime in expensive suits can? So, they're just going to sit around and wait for the vacation day while the rest of the people work!?!?