Investor's Business Daily, June 26th, 2007
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes -- or perhaps a zombie rising from its grave -- the Senate revived the immigration reform bill thought dead earlier this month.
By a 64-35 vote, lawmakers brought it back to the Senate floor Tuesday. Debate is expected to last throughout the week.
But its second life may prove even shorter than its first. While the Senate agreed to debate it again, many lawmakers remain critical of the underlying bill. Several proposed amendments could prove decisive.
Another cloture vote requiring 60 senators' backing is expected later this week. Only after that will the bill get a final vote. It would face an equally rocky road in the House, should it pass the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., sounded skeptical of its odds even before he voted in favor of it.
"We have to take hard votes," he said. "We would be derelict in our duties if we didn't make every effort to get this legislation passed."
Reid blamed Republicans for hindering the bill and urged the White House to push for their support.
Tuesday's vote cut across party lines though with 22 Republicans joining 42 Democrats to bring it back up. Opposing it were 25 Republicans, 9 Democrats and the Senate's lone independent.
You Only Live Twice
Fans breathed a sigh of relief. And then asked the Senate not to let up.
"Americans are calling on our senators to lead with conviction and work together to craft a bill that fixes our broken system once and for all," said Elisseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, in a statement.
Opponents like the conservative group Numbers USA won't let up either.
"We're looking at switching a few votes between now and Thursday" when a second cloture vote is likely, said spokeswoman Caroline Espinoza.
About two dozen amendments will be considered. Several could tip various senators for or against the bill.
Among them are proposals to: require immigration agencies to crack down on people who overstay their visas and permanently bar those foreign visitors; change the bill's application policy to give greater weight to immigrants having existing family in the U.S.; let public-sector employees inquire if the people they serve are legal; and require employers to verify an immigrant's legal status via a federally managed ID system.
The overall bill would create a guest worker program, open up a pathway to legalization for existing illegal immigrants while letting them stay in the U.S. and dedicate $4.4 billion to border patrol efforts, among other provisions.
It has the strong backing of the White House, the business community and some leading figures in the Senate but has drawn stiff resistance from conservative groups and a core group of senators.
The White House has worked feverishly to get immigration reform back on track. Top officials have regularly visited Capitol Hill and coordinated with Senate leaders.
Critics Not Reassured
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has been among the leading critics. For them there is little the White House can do to reassure them.
"My concern is the gulf between the promise being made to the American people and the likelihood the promise will actually be carried out," Cornyn said.
That's a tough sell for an administration that's only recently made border security a priority, he said.
President Bush did not help his case when he used "amnesty" to describe his plan during a speech Tuesday. The administration later said Bush misspoke and had intended to say it wasn't an amnesty.
Meanwhile, House Republicans opposed to the Senate bill planned to hold a vote stating their objection. While only symbolic, the effort shows the bill would have a tough time in that chamber as well.
"It's clear there is a large number of House Republicans who have serious concerns with the Senate bill," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, told the AP.
