Hoyer: Republicans Need to Come Together with Democrats to Pass Bipartisan, Comprehensive Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on H.R. 5759, a partisan bill to undermine the President's executive actions on immigration reform: 

“It is very disappointing that the Republican Majority in the House wasted Congress’s time today on a partisan bill that will undermine the President’s executive actions to strengthen our borders, keep families together, and focus enforcement efforts on criminals. Instead, Republicans ought to be working across the aisle with Democrats to build on the President’s steps and fix a system that we all agree is broken. 

“House Republicans have had over 500 days to act on a bipartisan bill passed overwhelmingly in the Senate by a vote of 68-32 in June 2013.  Their failure to do so necessitated the President taking what legal actions he could on his own.  Republicans need to come together with Democrats and the President to take the next step and pass bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation.  I urge the Speaker and Majority Leader to abandon their partisan efforts and work with Democrats to build on the President’s executive actions with a comprehensive and bipartisan approach through legislation.”