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Boehner: Immigration Reform 'Difficult to Move' This Year

By Carrie Dann

House Speaker John Boehner dampened prospects for immigration reform this year, blaming a lack of trust between the White House and Republicans.

Theres widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws, he said Thursday in a briefing with reporters. And its going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.

But the GOP leader did not say what rebuilding that trust might entail.

Boehner said he would continue speaking to members of his conference about how to move forward with legislation but that the presidents new focus on using executive action to accomplish his goals has undermined his push for immigration reform.

The presidents asking us to move one of the biggest bills of his presidency, and yet hes shown very little willingness to work with us on the smallest of things, he said.

A senior GOP aide disputed the idea that immigration reform is effectively dead for the year.

"The Speaker simply outlined the obstacles we face, which are formidable," the aide said.

Boehners tough talk echoes concerns voiced by rank-and-file members after Republicans unveiled their principles for immigration reform last week. While GOP leaders say they want to get immigration reform done, many Republicans are loathe to offer the White House much leeway on immigration provisions that they say would benefit Democrats at the ballot.

Rep. Paul Ryan,R-Wis., voiced similar concern on Sunday, saying that passage of reform legislation is "clearly in doubt" because of lack of faith in the president.

House conservatives: No immigration reform in 2014

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 12: Immigration reform advocates demonstrate on November 12, 2013 in New York City. Some 100 demonstrators called for Republican U.S. Congressman Michael Grimm, who represents New York City's 11th District, to back comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the House of Representatives. The 11-mile "pilgrimage for the 11 million" undocumented immigrants went from midtown Manhattan to Grimm's Staten Island office and was organized by the New York Immigration Coalition. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) John Moore, Getty Images

House GOP leaders unveiled their broad immigration principles last week that gave hope to advocates and the Obama administration that the first changes in the nation's laws in three decades might happen in the coming months.

Immigration legislation is one of the top priorities for Obama's second term.

But several of the conservatives were adamant that the House should do nothing on the issue this year, a midterm election year when the GOP is angling to gain six seats in the Senate and seize majority control. Democrats currently have a 55-45 advantage but are defending more seats, including ones in Republican-leaning states.

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Labrador's comments were noteworthy as he was one of eight House members working on bipartisan immigration legislation last year. He later abandoned the negotiations.

"This is not an issue that's ready for prime time to move legislatively," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, who said Republicans should use the principles to begin a dialogue with Hispanics.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said the House should focus on the four bills dealing with security that the Judiciary Committee approved last summer. Absent any action on those bills, Jordan said it would be tough to do any immigration legislation this year.

The definitive statements from the conservatives came as Douglas Elmendorf, the head of the Congressional Budget Office, told a House panel that the comprehensive, Senate-passed immigration bill would have a positive impact on the nation's finances.

Immigration reform's other hurdle

Forget about that pathway to citizenship.

The Republican divide on whether undocumented immigrants can become citizens is consuming most of the headlines. But theres a trickier issue at play that ultimately could prove to be a bigger stumbling block for immigration reform: a guest-worker program for future immigrants.

Last March, the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reached a delicately crafted deal on the number of low-skilled workers such as hospitality employees who can legally come into the country. That deal is a major reason why the Senate reform bill was able to pass in June.

(Also on POLITICO: Mitch McConnell: Immigration irresolvable in 2014)

But House Republicans have not yet resolved this thorny problem the GOP principles released last week only broadly touch the issue and Republicans are split over whether to raise or reduce the number of guest workers coming into the country, according to several top sources close to the issue.

Meanwhile, Democrats will be reluctant to depart from the high-stakes agreement struck between labor and business.

There are serious divisions because there are some people who, frankly, just dont want a lot of folks coming from the outside, said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) on Wednesday. Pointing to the current jobless rate, he added: They have some very legitimate arguments.

If a House solution veers too far from the Senate deal on guest workers, key officials believe the entire reform effort could collapse. Thats because it risks losing support from the pivotal constituencies who helped pass comprehensive immigration reform last year.

One person close to the Senate negotiations said one of the key reasons for the success of the Senate bill is because of very carefully crafted compromises on the guest-worker programs. These pacts formed a marked change from the previous failed effort at comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, the person noted.

(Also on POLITICO: Chuck Schumer, Paul Ryan talking on immigration)

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Immigration reform's other hurdle

February 6th, 2014

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Boehner splashes cold water on immigration reform