Republicans on Friday stepped up their efforts to blame Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid for the collapse of immigration reform legislation, a charge the Nevada Democrat denied.
“Senator Reid’s politics of delay and distraction are the reason we can’t move forward,” said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. “His refusal to even allow debate on amendments hurts our ability to stop illegal immigration.”
Frist’s broadside came less than 24 hours after President Bush accused Reid of “single-handedly thwarting the will of the American people” on immigration reform. Bush and other Republicans blame Reid for scuttling a Senate immigration bill through a procedural move that blocked debate on amendments.
Reid countered that Bush and Frist lack “the backbone to stop the extreme elements of the Republican Party from blocking improvements to America’s security.”
The escalating rhetoric underscores the enormous political stakes of the immigration debate, with each side determined to blame the other in advance of November’s elections. A poll released this week by Rasmussen Reports shows Republicans pulling ahead of Democrats on the debate.
The poll found that 37 percent of Americans trust the GOP more than Democrats on immigration, while 31 percent trust Democrats more. That’s a shift from late March, when 38 percent trusted Republicans more and 37 percent trusted Democrats.
Still, the White House is frustrated because Bush has been advocating a guest worker program forillegal immigrants since he first took office, despite strong objections from fellow Republicans who say the program amounts to amnesty. Having been pilloried by his own party for championing a controversial cause, Bush is suddenly in danger of losing the issue to Democrats.
Democrats contend that Reid blocked debate on amendments because he feared Republicans would strip the bill of its guest worker provision as it was being reconciled with a House border security bill that would make illegal immigration a felony.
On Friday, Frist defended GOP amendments to the Senate bill, including one that would commission a study aimed at determining which regions of Mexico produce the most illegal immigrants. The amendment would then direct economic aid to those regions in an effort to dissuade Mexicans from leaving.
Another Frist amendment would expedite citizenship for legal immigrants who serve in the U.S. armed forces.
“These brave men and women deserve a fast track to citizenship,” Frist said.
