From: Roy Beck, President, NumbersUSA
Date: Tuesday 12JUN07 3:45 p.m. EDT


GOP Senate Leaders McConnell & Lott on verge of deal to bring amnesty back up for vote


Friends,

Pres. Bush's meeting with Republican Senators at noon appears to be providing just the extra push that pro-amnesty leaders have wanted.

The Senate's top two Republican leaders -- McConnell (R-Ky.) and Lott (R-Miss.) -- are using this opportunity to pull 15 Republicans (of the 38 who voted against amnesty last week) back to Pres. Bush's side.

McConnell and Lott hope to get those 15 to sign off on a list of amendments they want brought up for a vote.

They hope to present that list to Democratic leader Sen. Reid (D-Nev.) by tonight!

To slow this down, please phone Republican Senators on the list below THIS MINUTE.

202-224-3121

When you think about it, the deal that Mcconnell and Lott are offering makes little sense. They are basically saying that they want the 15 Republican Senators to agree to vote for cloture in exchange for a chance to have their favorite amendments voted down. Many of those same Senators may vote against the final bill (when it will take 50 votes to defeat it), but their promise to Bush, McConnell and Lott will be that they will vote FOR cloture (when it would take only 39 votes to defeat it).

In other words, they will vote for the amnesty in the tally where their NO vote would have the most possibility of defeating the bill.

Please call these Republicans and urge them to refuse any deal that wins their YES vote on another cloture vote.

REPUBLICANS MOST LIKELY TO SWITCH TO AMNESTY TODAY

(* Senators up for re-election in 200

* Alexander (R-TN)
Bennett (R-UT)
* Cochran (R-MS)
* Coleman (R-MN)
* Collins (R-ME)
* Cornyn (R-TX)
* Craig (R-ID)
* Domenici (R-NM)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
* McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
* Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stevens (R-AK)
* Warner (R-VA)

FROM CONGRESS DAILY THIS AFTERNOON

Secretary Tony Snow sounded a note of optimism, saying most of the major provisions have passed with more than the necessary 60 votes. "Last week's vote on cloture was opposed by a number of Republicans, not because they opposed the bill but because they opposed shutting off debate," Snow said. "They thought that it was important to consider further amendments."

To that end, Senate Republican negotiators were close to agreeing on the number of amendments they want to bring up and could present that list to Reid as early as this evening, a GOP leadership aide said today.

The negotiators will meet at 5 p.m. to craft the list, which is expected to be in the range of 10 to 20 amendments. Democrats would be allowed an equal number of amendments under the emerging deal. The Republican list would likely include amendments dealing with enhanced enforcement triggers, an earlier "touchback" requirement for illegal immigrants seeking legal status, and a "fix" to an amendment that passed last week by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., to sunset the bill's guestworker program. GOP aides said if Reid accepts their debate terms, the Republican votes are there to support another cloture motion to stop a filibuster on the immigration debate. But some of the amendments, if approved, might dissolve the fragile coalition that cobbled together the compromise legislation.

Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said last week's 15-vote deficit on the failed cloture motion does not reflect the will of the Republican Party. He pointed to another vote rejecting an amendment by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to strike the legalization provisions, which would have killed the deal. On that vote, 26 Republicans voted to sustain the immigration compromise.

www.numberusa.com