House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she is âover-hopefulâ Congress will pass an immigration reform package despite huge differences between her chamber and the Senate on how to tackle the issue.
The California Democrat said she has âgreat confidenceâ that a long-standing House bipartisan group will produce an immigration reform proposal âin a week or two.â
Pelosi added that strong public support for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants will push Congress to pass meaningful immigration reforms.
âPublic sentiment is everything. Iâm sure during the August break people will be talking to members of Congress,â she said during her weekly briefing with reporters.
âWeâre very, very proud of the coalition that is working on this. And it has nothing to do with Democrats and Republicans. It is totally nonpartisan.â
That coalition, she said, includes the âthree Bs:â âbadges,â for law enforcement; âbusinessâ groups, such as the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and âBibles,â for religious groups.
âI would hope that, as we go forward, we would heed the words of President [George W.] Bush ⦠which he stated last week that as we go forward we have a beneficent attitude toward the people who are caught in this immigration reform debate,â she said.
The Senate last month passed legislation that offers an opportunity for citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in U.S. The bill also promises a military-style effort to secure the porous border with Mexico.
But House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he will address the immigration issue with a series of smaller bills, saying his âcommon-sense, step-by-step approachâ makes more sense.
