Broken Promises: Republican Leaders Refused to Act on Immigration Reform
Update: On Friday morning, Speaker Boehner told the press "the House will, in fact, act." We've heard this before.
More than 500 days ago, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to fix our broken immigration system. Republicans have promised again and again to act on immigration reform this Congress but have failed to meet their commitments.
REPUBLICANS' FAILED COMMITMENTS TO ACT ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
Boehner said he's been working for 16 or 17 months trying to push Congress to deal with immigration reform. "I've had every brick and bat and arrow shot at me over this issue just because I wanted to deal with it. I didn't say it was going to be easy," he said. [Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/24/14]
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA):
"I've always said from the beginning, we need to pass a bill that solves the problem." [Politico, 7/24/14]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
"There are some members of our party who just do not want to deal with this. It's no secret," he said. "I do believe the vast majority of our members do want to deal with this, they want to deal with it openly, honestly and fairly." [Roll Call, 5/12/14]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
Many lawmakers and activists have assumed the issue was off the table in an election year. But Mr. Boehner said at a Las Vegas fundraiser last month he was "hellbent on getting this done this year," according to two people in the room. [WSJ, 4/17/14]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
"I'm still working with the President, working with my colleagues in a bipartisan way, and the Congress to move this issue along." [Washington Post, 3/3/14]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
"As you all know, for the last 15 months, I've talked about the need to get immigration reform done. This is an important issue in our country. It's been kicked around forever, and it needs to be dealt with." [Press Conference, 2/6/14]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
"It's important to act on immigration reform because we're focused on jobs and economic growth, and this is about jobs and growth." Boehner said in his pitch in the closed meeting. "Reform is also about our national security. The safety and security of our nation depends on our ability to secure our border, enforce our laws, improve channels for legal entry to the country, and identify who is here illegally." [Politico, 1/30/14]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
"Listen, I have talked for 13 months, since the day after the last presidential election, about the need for Congress to tackle this very important issue. I've been committed to it; I'm still committed to it." [Press Conference, 12/5/13]
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA):
SCHIEFFER: Let me ask you just quickly, and we're just about out of time, is immigration reform dead for this year?
MCCARTHY: No. Immigration reform is going to happen. [CBS Face the Nation, 11/24/13]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
"I still think that immigration reform is an important subject that needs to be addressed and I am hopeful." [Reuters, 10/23/13]
House Republicans:
House Republicans intensified their outreach to Latino groups last week, offering renewed pledges that the House will deal with immigration reform this year. ... Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told immigration advocates in a private conversation this month that the issue remains on the agenda despite a crowded calendar that also includes negotiations on the budget and the debt ceiling, according to a person familiar with the discussions. [Washington Post, 9/22/13]
Republican National Committee Statement:
The Republican National Committee passed a resolution Friday calling on Congress to pass an immigration reform bill by the end of the year-but it stopped well short of the bipartisan compromise passed by the Senate earlier this year, omitting a "path to citizenship" for any class of illegal immigrant. [Time, 8/16/13]
Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA):
"I have said that we will be addressing the issue of immigration in the House according to our terms, not the way the Senate did. Because as you know now there is a lot of doubt being cast on whether the folks who voted for that know even what in the end was voted on because of the scramble to get the votes in the last piece of that legislative activity. And we're going to do a lot more deliberative and smart in the House." [Floor Remarks, 8/4/13]
House Republican Leadership:
"Today House Republicans affirmed that rather than take up the flawed legislation rushed through the Senate, House committees will continue their work on a step-by-step, common-sense approach to fixing what has long been a broken system." [Press Release, 7/10/13]
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):
Lest there be any lingering doubt, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) once again told his colleagues Wednesday morning at their weekly closed-door meeting that no matter what the Senate does on immigration reform, the House will act on its own. "We'll do our own bill, through regular order and it'll be a bill that reflects the will of our majority and the people we represent." [Washington Post, 6/26/13]
House Republican Leadership:
"The House remains committed to fixing our broken immigration system, but we will not simply take up and accept the bill that is emerging in the Senate if it passes. Rather, through regular order, the House will work its will and produce its own legislation. Enacting policy as consequential and complex as immigration reform demands that both chambers of Congress engage in a robust debate and amendment process. Our nation's immigration processes, border security, and enforcement mechanisms remain dysfunctional. The House goal is enactment of legislation that actually solves these problems and restores faith in our immigration system, and we are committed to continuing the work we've begun toward that goal in the weeks and months ahead." [Press Release, 5/23/13]