House Republican leaders postpone vote on immigration bill
WASHINGTON – Republican leaders temporarily yanked a Trump-backed immigration bill from the House floor just hours before lawmakers were supposed to vote on it, a surprise move that seemed unlikely to improve its prospects for passage.
The last-minute decision came at nearly the same moment the House killed another more conservative immigration bill – also supported by Trump and GOP leaders – by a vote of 193 to 231. Forty-one Republicans joined all the Democrats to defeat that bill, which would have funded President Donald Trump’s border wall, slashed legal immigration and provided temporary legal status to some undocumented immigrants.
The dual actions showcased how divisive and perilous the immigration issue is for the GOP, with Republican leaders unable to bridge a chasm between moderates and conservatives despite intense political pressure to act.
The postponed immigration bill, crafted by House Speaker Paul Ryan, will now come up for a vote Friday. The delay came after some GOP lawmakers demanded more time to review the 299page bill, which would dramatically revamp immigration policy.
If Ryan’s bill fails Friday, it will be a blow to his leadership as he tries to keep an already fractious caucus together. It also will highlight Republican infighting on a major election issue just five months before voters head to the polls.
The fresh chaos in the House came near the end of a tumultuous week that began with an uproar over Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy that led to immigrant children being separated from their parents at the border – sparking a parallel and equally heated immigration debate.
The speaker crafted his immigration measure after weeks of negotiations between members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and moderate Republicans from diverse districts who want to protect undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
Ryan’s bill includes elements to appease both factions. And some Republicans said they hoped the extra day would help them rescue the measure bill from near-certain defeat.
“I’d rather wait a day and pass it than rush it and not pass it,” said Rep. Chris Collins, RN.Y., who supports the Ryan measure.
Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., a moderate who co-sponsored the legislation, said it was understandable that lawmakers needed more time to understand a sweeping bill that was just unveiled Tuesday and included an embarrassing drafting error that required an 11th-hour fix.
“The more members understand this bill, the more comfortable they will become with it,” Curbelo said.
But others said time was not the problem.
“I’m a big fat no, capital letters,” said Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa. He said he’d use the additional hours to “encourage other people to vote no.”
He and other House Republicans said GOP leaders should have focused their energy on building support for the more hawkish proposal, which failed by fewer than 20 votes, instead of crafting a second bill.
Trump backed both bills, although he was tepid and uneven in his support of the Ryan measure. On Thursday morning, the president injected another wrinkle when he suggested in a tweet that the two House immigration votes were a waste of time because neither measure could pass the Senate – a statement that further undercut the Ryan bill.