The White House on Thursday blunted the rollout of an immigration reform package by admitting it’s not a “priority” issue.
Congressional Democrats introduced an immigration bill similar to the one President Biden pitched on his first day in office called the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. The measure creates an eight-year path to citizenship for the country’s roughly 11 million illegal immigrants.
But White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday said the administration’s “sole priority” is passing its proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, dubbed the “American Rescue Plan,” when asked about other stated items on Biden’s policy and legislative wish lists.
“We have our foot on the gas, and we’re remaining engaged with Democrats and Republicans on [Capitol] Hill about moving that forward,” she said. “It is not on the president’s desk, it is not signed, and that relief is not in the hands of the American people.”
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But when pressed about what strategies were being considered for the immigration legislation, she balked before saying that the administration would work in coordination with New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and California Rep. Linda Sanchez. Those two lawmakers are trying to shepherd the proposal through Congress.
“We’re not quite there because today is the day that the bill is being proposed,” Psaki said. “But right now, we are eager to communicate about what is in the package, why all of the components are pivotal pieces of the package. And in terms of the mechanism, or the timeline, or the mechanics, we’re happy to have that conversation in the weeks ahead, but today, the bill is just being officially introduced.”
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The White House has indicated that it is open to passing immigration reforms in a piecemeal manner, including during a CNN town hall this week. That approach may be adopted if Democrats can’t convince 10 Republican senators to vote for the framework or if they choose not to rely on reconciliation again.
“We certainly understand that the sausage that comes out in the machine on the other side will look different from the sausage that’s introduced today,” Psaki said. “We’re supportive of that, and we’ll look forward to working with Congress to get the bill moving forward.”
