Boehner: No way to get immigration bill to House floor without GOP majority support [View all]
Source: CNN.com
(CNN) -- Under pressure from House conservatives opposed to comprehensive immigration reform, House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday, "I don't see any way of bringing an immigration bill to the floor that doesn't have majority support of Republicans."
Boehner talked to reporters after the weekly GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill. A source who attended Tuesday morning's closed-door meeting said Boehner assured House members that he has no plan to pass an immigration bill without majority GOP support.
"The only time any speaker allows a major bill to pass without a majority of the majority is when there is zero leverage. Denny Hastert did it on campaign finance reform and several other bills when he had no leverage and no other option. Nancy Pelosi did it on Iraq war funding and other bills when she had no leverage and no other option. And yes, it has happened to me a couple times, such as the fiscal cliff and hurricane relief, where we had no leverage and we faced a worse alternative, politically or in terms of policy.
"Let me be clear: Immigration is not one of these scenarios. We have plenty of leverage. And I have no intention of putting a bill on the floor that will violate the principles of our majority and divide our conference. One of our principles is border security. I have no intention of putting a bill on the floor that the people in this room do not believe secures our borders. It's not gonna happen."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/18/politics/boehner-immigration-reform/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
The do-nothing Congress strikes again.
= new reply since forum marked as read