Familiar sticking points have left Republicans short of a deal on an immigration reform bill that would strengthen border security and protect Dreamers from deportation.
Moderate Republicans, however, failed to add the final signatures needed to complete a discharge petition that would trigger votes on a trio of immigration reform bills.
Instead, they plan to keep talking to their more conservative counterparts because, they say, a deal is close.
“We are still having discussions,” Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., an author of the discharge petition, said after the final vote series of the evening.
Lawmakers can sign a discharge petition as long as the House is in session. Voting is over for the night but “special order” speeches will continue into the evening and will conclude at 10 p.m.
In the meantime, moderates and conservatives are meeting in separate camps to determine if they can accept the terms of a proposal that would give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship in exchange for increased border security and immigration enforcement.
Moderates say they must sign the discharge petition today in order to comply with House rules on timing that would ensure floor consideration on June 25. But they may not sign the petition if they agree to the deal, which appears to be frequently changing.
“There are additional items that continue to be added,” Denham said as he left the House chamber.
Lawmakers from conservative and moderate factions Tuesday afternoon met in the office of Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has been trying to broker a deal for days.
“I do have a proposal in hand,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said after the meeting.
Meadows is planning to meet with his caucus but said they would not make a decision yet.
“We are not taking any positions,” Meadows said. “We are having real discussions about immigration and what to do.”
The proposal will use immigration reform elements from a proposal authored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. Goodlatte’s proposal includes E-Verify, which would require employers to verify whether a person is in the country legally or not. Moderates want E-Verify considered in a separate bill.
Conservatives are also seeking stronger border security elements than moderates are reportedly willing to accept.
“We are going to keep talking,” Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., a GOP moderate negotiator, said.
Al Weaver contributed to this report.
