Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI), the shortest short-timer in Republican leadership, is calling on his compadres to bring to the floor a bi-partisan immigration plan before mid-term elections. The only caveat to his request is that President Trump fully endorses any scheme these frenemies concoct towards moving forward and ending the vitriolic debate.
And there’s the rub.
President Trump is light years away from the warm and fuzzies liberals need to feel emotionally secure with such an important decision. Remember, they troll illegals for voter rolls and want to take the way-back machine to a time before the U.S. Census came along asking the question, “are you a U.S. citizen?”
So, what’s a guy like Ryan to do?
After a recent outbreak of rogue Republicans attempted, by using the little-known Queen of the Hill rule, to add in protection status for the Dreamers – also known in some circles as undocumented illegals – Ryan felt enough heat to hitch up his big boy trousers and march to the front lines to go head to head with his colleagues.
Moderate Republican Representatives Jeff Denham (R-CA), Will Hurd (R-TX), and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) are causing Ryan’s pain and potentially opening the floodgates of immigration proposals through this archaic loophole, which allows for open floor debate on the topic, even if the bill has not gone through the committee process as is usually required for legislation.
But 2018 isn’t, so far, the usual year, and now we face a potential avalanche of prospective bills to ponder, debate, and dominate before recessing this summer. And the final kicker to the obscure rule? The proposal with the most votes wins the race.
As of this writing, there are a few options being bandied about. U.S.A Act – sponsored by Hurd and his across the aisle buddy, Representative Pete Aguilar (D-CA) – and Dream Act will give permanent legal status to those under the DACA umbrella. Securing America’s Future Act, also known as the Goodlatte Bill, seeks temporary status for DACA recipients while they work towards citizenship and also imposes a range of border protection and enforcement measures, as well as cuts to legal immigration.
We Got Options
The Goodlatte Bill, which is the most accommodating to both sides of the DACA debacle, has Democrats losing their collective minds over the limit of legal immigration to the U.S. each year.
Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) referenced the Bill as “Mass Deportation Act,” which plastered smiles on the faces of Americans who would prefer the flooding of our nation to be tamped to a trickle.
The fourth proposal is all up to Ryan. And It appears he has decided to end this nonsense once and for all before he is stained with the legacy of a do-nothing Congress upon imminent retirement. To be fair, no one wants that on their Wikipedia page.
Can’t We Just Get Along?
In total, 17 Republicans are on board with the Queen of the Hill petition and it seems possible that Americans will be voyeurs to the biggest smack-down the House floor has ever witnessed. But Ryan is still working the phone and attempting to stop the coup before it gains traction.
Appealing to calmer, gentler House members, Ryan stated in a recent news conference:
“I would like to have an immigration vote before the midterms, but I want to have a vote on something that can make it into law. I don’t want to have, you know, show ponies.”
Because Ryan knows full well that President Trump, backed by his conservative cavalry, won’t saddle that horse. Instead, it would amount to yet another deadlock on DACA – and a colossal waste of time.
The issue of immigration is a mighty tool for both Democrats and Republicans to wield in this most important of times. Despite all efforts, it could remain a Mexican stand-off – so to speak – until after the November 2018 midterms.
