Thread: GOP senator to Bush: 'Back off' on ailing immigration bill

GOP senator to Bush: 'Back off' on ailing immigration bill


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As President Bush was making a rare trip to Capitol Hill to push his ailing immigration plan Tuesday, a GOP senator said the president should "back off" and "help us write a better bill."

During a Senate lunch, Bush hopes to gain 15 GOP supporters for his centerpiece immigration legislation which suffered a crushing blow in a floor vote last week.

Bush's influence with Congress appears to be waning, although he expressed confidence about the measure on Monday. "I'll see you at the bill signing," he said while traveling in Bulgaria. (Watch the signs that Bush is looking more like a "lame duck")

But Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a fellow Republican, made it clear Tuesday that he will not be swayed.

"Frankly, I think the president is wrong to push this piece of legislation so hard after we demonstrated the flaws that are in it," Sessions said. "He needs to back off."

Sessions said Bush should help Congress "write a better bill and not push a bill that so many of us can't support." (Watch Sessions explain what he thinks is wrong with the "fatally flawed" bill)

Before its defeat last week, both Republicans and Democrats had problems with the bill. Liberals said it would limit opportunities for unskilled workers, while conservatives said it would give "amnesty" to those who have broken the law.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Tuesday that he expected Democratic leaders to allow debate on a series of Republican amendments. "If that's the case, we're confident it's going to pass."

Snow said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last week "wanted to cut off the debate, so a number of Republicans who had amendments they wanted to propose didn't get to have their hearing."

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell offered another sign that Bush has a tough sell ahead. (Watch why Bush's role is vital to immigration bill)

"I think most senators have pretty well made up their minds," McConnell told reporters. "So, we'll be interested in the president's advice, but I think this is not an issue upon which many people are undecided."

Democrats call for stronger leadership
Bush's visit to the Hill comes after Reid urged "stronger leadership" from the White House to "ensure the opponents of the bill do not block the path to final passage."

In last week's Senate vote that stopped the bill, just seven Republicans voted with 37 Democrats and one independent on the procedural motion that fell well shy of the necessary 60 votes for passage. (Read more about last week's crushing blow to immigration legislation)

McConnell said passage is possible. There are "a reasonable number of Republicans" who "are likely to help us get it through," he said.

But those Republicans don't want presidential arm twisting. They want a chance to modify the controversial bill, a chance Reid denied them when he moved to close debate before Republicans could offer a sufficient number of amendments, McConnell argued.

Republicans will demand they be given as least as many roll call votes as Democrats got when a similar bill was considered in the last Congress, which was controlled by Republicans, McConnell said.

If an agreement can be reached on amendments the Senate could return to the bill before the July 4 recess, Reid suggested.

"The bipartisan compromise, while it has its flaws, is better than the status quo, and I hope we can get back to it in the near future," McConnell said.

Kennedy: 'The center is holding'
Ahead of the luncheon, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, who worked with the White House and Republicans on writing the bill, issued a statement saying, "Like the president, many of us are very determined to get the job done and get it done now.

"The center is holding together: last night we met to discuss the options for moving it forward, and today we'll continue that work. We share the sense of urgency that this important issue deserves," he added.

Georgia Republicans Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss sent a letter to Bush on Tuesday urging him to send an emergency supplemental spending bill to Congress to fund border security. The letter called on Bush to restore "the confidence of the American people in the federal government's commitment to border security."

The chief GOP architect of the bill, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, called the next few weeks the last chance for Congress to pass such legislation.

"I think all of the experts agree that thereafter we get into the presidential/political season," Kyl said. "Next year it's not going to be possible."

"I think the president understands that this is really our last best hope to get legislation through, that we just cannot sit by and do nothing."

CNN's Ted Barrett and Steve Brusk contributed to this report.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/12/immigration/

Video of Sessions telling Bush this bill is flawed!

http://video.aol.com/video-search/id/1937786745

Does anyone have a list of PEOPLE like him.. These are the guys I want to talk to - I want to say thanks!

I'm waiting for these guys to start punching each other... this being a RED BUTTON topic and all.. plus the fact that it's our country at stake..

no biggie.. just our country.

Keep the pressure on! Call the good guys and SAY GOOD JOB..


I'll look for numbers but if anyone has a list (or maybe I just call switchboard - duh...) The pressure on these guys to STAND FIRM is high.. and I'm sure an atttaaa boyyyy could not hurt...

Exactly what center is the swimmer talking about? This meathead considers himself doing the right thing for the U.S. Talk about being out of touch.

11 Senators Write Bush

Posted: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 12:54 PM by Mark Murray
Categories: White House, Congress, Republicans
From NBC's Ken Strickland


While President Bush is expected to rally GOP Senate support today for a comprehensive immigration reform bill, several Republican senators are pushing Bush to address border security first -- regardless of the bill's fate. In two different letters sent to Bush by two different sets of senators, they strongly suggest their constituents don't trust the Administration's immigration policy.

Georgia Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss are asking the president to send Congress an emergency supplemental spending bill to fund border security. They write that "the message from a majority of Georgians is that they have no trust that the United States Government will enforce the laws contained in this new legislation and secure the border first." They say the Administration's "lack of credibility" gives merit to skeptics.

Another letter signed by nine GOP senators, including some vocal opponents of the comprehensive plan, calls on Bush to enforce existing border security laws "regardless of whether the Senate passes the immigration reform bill." Describing border security as "vital," the group says it's "the best way to restore trust with the American people and facilitate future improvements of our immigration policy."

That letter is signed by Sens. DeMint, Coburn, Enzi, Vitter, Inhofe, Bunning, Grassley, Ensign, and Sessions. Combined with the letter from Isakson and Chambliss, the "border security-first" opinion of represents more than 20% of the Senate GOP caucus.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/ ... 23473.aspx

Here's the beginnings of a 'good senator' list:

These are the Repubs that sent the 'enforce existing laws first' letter to Boosh:

DeMint (R-SC),
Coburn (R-OK),
Enzi (R-WY),
Vitter (R-LA),
Inhofe (R-OK),
Bunning (R-KY),
Grassley (R-IA),
Ensign (R-NV),
Sessions (R-AL)

Although the following senators aren't perfect on the issue, they have done the 'right thing' recently - albeit, for largely different reasons than many of the Repubs above:

I'd also add:

Dorgan (D-ND),
McCaskill (D-MO),
Landrieu (D-LA),
Byrd (D-WV),
Tester (D-MT),
Sanders (I-VT)
and possibly a few others...

thank you senator!

I am glad that someone in the Senate is paying attention. Now we need 99 more just like him.

"I think the president understands that this is really our last best hope to get legislation through, that we just cannot sit by and do nothing."

..we just cannot sit by and do nothing??? What about enforcing immigration laws already in the books?

I just finished calling and e-mailing the Senators of Ca......This is the first time I have ever been so disgusted with my government, that, I have taken the time to tell them how I feel. I am encouraging my family, friends and neighbors to DO something....write, call, e-mail......Speak up...I can't take Bush's arrogance and uppity demeanor much longer....I'm doing what I can to defeat this darn amnesty bill. Thank you, Alipac for this website....