He is looking at a fast-track budget maneuver.
If bipartisan talks on providing a pathway to citizenship fall apart, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is weighing a backup plan to legalize millions of illegal immigrants. His fast-track budget maneuver is part of a plan he has lined up if talks among 15 senators in both parties fail to yield a compromise on immigration—and negotiations are dragging on with little agreement in sight.
Schumer has privately told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in recent weeks he is “actively exploring” whether it would be possible to attach a broad revision of immigration laws to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan and pass it through a process known as budget reconciliation, according to two people briefed on his comments.
Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California endorsed the idea of using budget reconciliation to push through an immigration measure citing the “budget impacts of immigration in our country.”
However, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who has been involved in the bipartisan negotiations, said, “Before we can do anything meaningful on immigration, we’re going to have to deal with the current crisis at the border. I don’t think the public is going to tolerate us ignoring this crisis, and it’s just going to get worse unless we deal with it.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For God’s purpose to be accomplished as members of Congress consider immigration reform.
- For discernment for Senator Schumer and others who are promoting citizenship to illegal immigrants.
- For federal, state, and local officials dealing with the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly the issues with human and drug smuggling.
Sources: New York Times, Newsmax
