Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Maybe I Spoke To Soon. Hastert Threatens to Derail Immigration Bill
The Washington Post reports today that Backers of President Bush's bid to revamp immigration laws are increasingly concerned about a House Republican policy that could block final agreement even if a bipartisan majority is within reach.
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's insistence that major legislation reach the House floor only if it appears to be backed by a "majority of the majority" could throw a high hurdle in front of efforts to reach a House-Senate compromise on immigration later this year, lawmakers said. Hastert (R-Ill.) has invoked the policy in blocking bills that appeared likely to win approval from more than half of the House's 435 members but less than half of its 231 Republicans.
If this is the case, then it appears that the Republican's have a death wish (politically speaking) that could wipe out their control of Congress for years to come. I don't believe that the country whole heartedly favors a guest worker program. However, the failure to pass a comprehensive bill that takes a shot at trying to solve the massive immigration problems that this country faces, will only further solidify this Republican government's image of failure on all fronts.
The full story is at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/22/AR2006052201516.html
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's insistence that major legislation reach the House floor only if it appears to be backed by a "majority of the majority" could throw a high hurdle in front of efforts to reach a House-Senate compromise on immigration later this year, lawmakers said. Hastert (R-Ill.) has invoked the policy in blocking bills that appeared likely to win approval from more than half of the House's 435 members but less than half of its 231 Republicans.
If this is the case, then it appears that the Republican's have a death wish (politically speaking) that could wipe out their control of Congress for years to come. I don't believe that the country whole heartedly favors a guest worker program. However, the failure to pass a comprehensive bill that takes a shot at trying to solve the massive immigration problems that this country faces, will only further solidify this Republican government's image of failure on all fronts.
The full story is at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/22/AR2006052201516.html
