House Republican leaders announced Thursday afternoon that a previously scheduled vote on the GOP’s so-called compromise immigration bill would be delayed until Friday.
NBC’s Alex Moe reports that Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the delay would take place in order to give members time to review the 300 pages of legislative text.
“We will vote on it tomorrow,” House Majority Leader McCarthy tells NBC News about the compromise GOP immigration bill. “All it is taking a little more time to explain it to members.”
— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) June 21, 2018
The bill, formally introduced by Judiciary chairman Bob Goodlatte on Tuesday, would address recent family separations that have led to more than 2,000 children being separated from their parents by detaining migrant families together during the criminal proceedings that take place under the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy of prosecuting all unauthorized immigrants upon entry. It would also fund the construction of President Donald Trump’s border wall and would provide a merit-based path to citizenship for some unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Members said there was confusion about which provisions were included and which were not included in the bill.
On Thursday, the bill appeared to have slim chances of passage. House Republicans are expected to meet at 4:30 to discuss the measure and to work out a path forward amid conflicting messages from the president and opposition from leaders of the immigration debate. Trump’s mixed messages may have contributed to the confusion — After telling members that he was behind them, “1,000 percent” on Tuesday night, the president questioned on Thursday why the House would expend energy on the immigration debate at all.
What is the purpose of the House doing good immigration bills when you need 9 votes by Democrats in the Senate, and the Dems are only looking to Obstruct (which they feel is good for them in the Mid-Terms). Republicans must get rid of the stupid Filibuster Rule-it is killing you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2018
His tweet came just hours before the House considered a more conservative immigration measure, also sponsored by Goodlatte. That bill would not include a path to citizenship for Dreamers, and it would drastically reduce legal immigration. It failed 231-193, with 41 Republicans voting against the measure.
