President Trump said he plans to modify an immigration bill that House Republicans will introduce in coordination with the White House, raising questions about his support for the legislation hours just before he was set to discuss it in a meeting with GOP lawmakers.
“We have a House that’s getting ready to finalize an immigration package that they’re going to brief me on later, and then I’m gonna make changes to,” the president said at a speech at the National Federation of Independent Business on Tuesday.
Trump is slated to meet with the House Republican conference at 5:30 p.m. for a closed-door meeting about two competing immigration bills: a hard-line bill introduced by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and one that aims to attract both moderate and conservative Republican support. The second bill, spearheaded by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., features each of the four pillars White House officials have repeatedly demanded be a part of any immigration reform effort.
In addition to allocating $25 billion for wall construction and other border security improvements, the Ryan bill creates a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million so-called Dreamers who came to the U.S. illegally as children, aims to reduce family-based chain migration, and would end the controversial visa lottery program. The hardline bill only applies to 800,000 Dreamers.
“We have one chance to get it right. We might as well get it right or let’s just keep it going. But let’s do it right,” Trump said.
House GOP leaders had planned to hold votes on both bills later this week, though their schedule could be delayed depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting with the president.
