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Newsletter
Week of Jan 31
This Issue: GOP Immigration Principles get cold reception from caucus & conservative pundits
To no one's surprise, pro-amnesty supporters were pleased with the House GOP Leadership's immigration principles that were released Thursday afternoon, but most of the Members within the caucus were less impressed.
Amnesty supporters were happy to see a provision that would grant legal status and work permits to illegal aliens, but until there is actual legislation, they're holding back on a full endorsement.
The skeptics, however, view the principles for what they actually are - a mildly, tougher version of the Schumer-Rubio-Oba ma amnesty. You can read the principles in their entirety on our website along with Roy's analysis.
Based on multiple reports coming from the GOP retreat in Cambridge, Md., there was plenty of dissent within the Republican caucus on Thursday evening. Breitbart.com reported that Members speaking against the principles outnumbered the supporters by nearly a 4-to-1 margin."This is a draft document, and it should stay a draft document," said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, according to two GOP sources. Price and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling--two heavy hitters on the right--both came out strongly against bringing a bill forward now. ...
The calls against moving forward comprised upwards of 70-80 percent of those who spoke, according to several estimates.
-- Breitbart News Network Bloggers on the right also hammered away at the principles, including Red State's Daniel Horowitz who dubbed the Boehner-Ryan-Goodlatte plan their "Immigration Deform Proposal."
Sorry to disappoint you but there is nothing new under the sun. Their framework is a mirror image of the Senate "Gang of 8" bill, albeit cloaked in even more deceptive and disingenuous language in order to distract conservatives with shiny objects.
-- Daniel Horowitz, RedState.com The Weekly Standard had been a staunch supporter of amnesty over the years, but the magazine's founder and editor, Bill Kristol, has been changing his analysis. Last night, he came out swinging against the corporate lobbyists who are behind the GOP effort on CNBC's The Kudlow Report.
It's hard opposing you [Larry Kudl ow], and Haley [Barbour], Michael Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch, Mark Zuckerberg, and all the billionaires in America who want huge amounts of cheap labor right now while we're still coming out of a tough recession with extremely high, long-term unemployment.
-- Bill Kristol And then there was the most vocal champion for the American worker, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who also weighed in on the GOP principles, calling the list "recycled talking points" that "appears to resemble the Senate plan."
Rank-and-file House Republicans are the last line of defense for working Americans. Now is the time for rank-and-file House Republicans to claim the leadership mantle and to say, firmly: our goal is to transition millions of struggling Americans from welfare and joblessness to work and rising wages.
-- Sen. Jeff Sessions
While the principles do include interior enforcement provisions, including a "workable" employment verification system, biometric entry-exit, and a "zero tolerance policy" for future illegal aliens, Leadership has refused to meet with federal i mmigration officers for their input. Earlier this week, Kenneth Palinkas, who heads the union that represents USCIS officers, sent a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) telling him that the federal employees who serve as a line of defense for national security don't have the resources to do their job and "immigration reform" would overload the agency making the situation worse.
With the pushback GOP Leaders have already received, they face an uphill battle in gaining acceptance of their plan. Statements, however, by party leaders, including Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, indicate that they won't give up without a fight. Ryan tried to convince his colleagues that there will never be a good time for reform, so why not now, while Priebus told MSNBC that there's a "general consensus" among Republicans that "something big has to happen." I'm curious to learn exactly who makes up that consensus.
We're still not certain about how Leadership will proceed on immigration. Several bills that are related to the principles have been introduced and passed through their respective committees and are ready for floor action. But Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, said that he doesn't expect any votes on immigration for several months. That's consistent with a reported stat ement from House Speaker John Boehner last month that votes would come after the primary filing deadlines had passed.
House Members return to work on Monday, so look for new actions next week to help urge your Congressman to oppose the plan to grant legal status and work permits to illegal aliens.
https://www.numbersusa.com/content/f...ure-202510.jpg chris chmielenski
Fri, Jan 31st
