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Bush Presses Senate GOP on Immigration Jonathan Weisman and Shailagh Murray
The meeting was described as cordial, even jovial, but Bush's efforts to rally GOP support for his sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration laws did not appear to win any converts. "We're off the bill. We ought to stay off the bill for awhile," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), one of the legislation's sternest critics. Bush and senior administration officials painted the meeting as a rescue session, coming five days after the tenuous compromise on immigration collapsed on the Senate floor. Bush made an impassioned plea for the legislation.
Following the meeting, Bush told reporters that he understands "this is a highly emotional issue, but . . . now is the time to move a comprehensive" immigration bill. He added that Senate proposal "is the best way to enforce our border. I believe without the bill that it's going to be harder to enforce the border. The status quo was unacceptable." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) marveled at the president's passion and commitment. But, he said, "We didn't expect anyone to stand up and holler that they had an epiphany." Apparently, they didn't. "We . . . have lost credibility in Washington on the issue, and I think before the American people will really ever get behind an immigration policy, they're going to have to feel that Washington is truly going to follow through on what it says," said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). Much of the conversation revolved around steps Bush could take to convince the public his administration was serious about border security laws that have already passed Congress. Georgia's two Republican senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, appealed to Bush to quickly send up a multi-billion request to fund not only the border security provisions in the pending bill, but also additional funds for detention beds, border fencing and vehicle barriers approved last year. The provisions in this year's bill alone would cost $6.2 billion. Nine other Republican senators delivered a letter to the president, suggesting a push now to secure the borders could yield political dividends on a future bill. "We respectfully ask that your Administration enforce the border security laws that have already been authorized by Congress regardless of whether the Senate passes the immigration reform bill," the letter reads. "Securing the border is the best way to restore trust with the American people and facilitate future improvements of our immigration policy." Bush's visit to Capitol Hill came as Senate Majority leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has urged him to deepen his involvement in the fight for the legislation. But some Republicans have charged that Reid was simply goading the president, setting Bush up to take full responsibility for the measure's defeat. The rescue mission that Bush is embarking on may well be too little, too late. Reid said yesterday that he is willing to bring the immigration bill back to the Senate floor after passage of a major energy bill, probably late next week. But he wants an agreement to limit the amendments to be considered and the time for debate, which would take unanimous consent. A single senator could thwart that demand, and Sessions suggested that opponents of the bill are not about to agree to those conditions, no matter how hard Bush pushes. Without unanimity, any move to bring the bill to a final vote would take at least five days. The architects of the plan are confident that with 60 firm votes lined up to block any filibusters, Reid would have no choice but to make good on his pledge to try again. But Reid has made it clear that he would rather dedicate the remaining days on the Senate's calendar to addressing issues considered more pressing by the Democratic base, particularly soaring energy costs and the war in Iraq. After the July 4 recess, the Senate will have only a few weeks to plow through 11 critical spending bills before the August recess. Bush put pressure on Reid today in his remarks. "I would hope that the Senate majority leader has that same sense of desire to move the . . . bill that I do and these senators do," he said, "because now is the time to get it done."
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Senate Republicans pressed President Bush to show a more determined
commitment to border security when they met behind closed doors today
during a rare presidential appearance on Capitol Hill.
