The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler (DN.Y.), confirmed the way forward, calling Biden’s proposal “important and serious”.
“We need to get involved in some consultations with key members and stakeholders, but I see no reason not to schedule this when we meet again in April,” said Nadler in a statement to POLITICO.
Biden’s proposal is a priority for progressives and for the Hispanic Caucus Congress, who say it is essential to take action in the first months of his term. But Democratic leaders would never come up with a bill that failed – putting them on a tightrope while trying to keep all factions of their diverse caucus on board for a realistic approach to one of Washington’s thorniest issues. To complicate matters further, the White House took a more direct approach to the project’s future in the House, several lawmakers and advisers said.
“We need to have an argument. It was designed by some people. I don’t know what the government’s role has been, ”said Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.), A border state democrat who belongs to the center of the Blue Dog Coalition. “But I have a feeling it’s not quite ready yet.”
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, acknowledged that “it is difficult because of the schedule”, but promised that “at the same time, we are pushing hard” to give impetus to Biden’s comprehensive proposal .
“It’s as if we have three pedals and are pushing each one with the same force,” she said, referring to two other more targeted immigration bills that will hit the ground in two weeks.
Pelosi, the majority leader in the House, Steny Hoyer, and the majority leader in the House, Jim Clyburn (DS.C.), met on Tuesday night to discuss the whip count and define strategies on what to do. do next. The meeting was interrupted when the nominee to head Biden’s budget office withdrew his name from consideration, and several Democrats said on Wednesday that immigration issues remained unsolved.
Supporters of the Biden bill, meanwhile, are still working furiously on the phone to lure their colleagues on board. That group, led by California representatives Linda Sánchez, Judy Chu and Zoe Lofgren, also organized meetings with influential groups across the caucus, including Blue Dogs on Tuesday and progressives on Thursday. Sánchez and Lofgren, along with other leading Democrats, also spoke to the New Democratic Coalition last month.
One of the White House’s top immigration officials, Tyler Moran, will also hold a meeting with the team on the project on Friday.
It is unclear whether or when Biden’s bill will be approved after going through the Judiciary Committee in April. But several Democrats have been privately lobbying the leadership to make a decision in one way or another, expressing in particular the frustration that Democrats are still projecting the possibility that the big bill will reach the floor in March.
In recent days, Democratic leaders have publicly expressed a note of skepticism, while acknowledging the final push behind the scenes.
“If it is ready, we will also consider comprehensive immigration reform,” Hoyer told reporters this week, while scheduling the next floor schedule. “But I insist, if you are ready. There is a lot of discussion going on about this. “
Democrats were already planning to accept some of their most popular immigration proposals in the coming weeks – one to protect the undocumented population known as Dreamers and the other to reform the system for rural workers. Both have bipartisan support, including strong support from the CHC and the CPC, and will soon be able to have plenary votes in the Senate.
But some members of the CHC say these accounts are not enough because they do not go as far as Biden’s plan.
“I want to make sure that the broader bill gets as much support as possible, and that we send it out as soon as possible, and that it is done,” said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), who helped shape Biden’s proposal and has been actively lobbying his colleagues about the bill.
“My fear, always, is that we will get pieces and, like Congress, we will continue to kick the way,” she said.
As Democrats are rapidly moving toward a fragmented immigration strategy, some corners of their caucus have begun to seek changes to Biden’s plan. Some moderates, for example, are pushing to include a clause requiring employers to confirm workers’ legal status – known as e-verify. Progressives, in turn, want some adjustments to ensure that the project does not disqualify people from citizenship because of minor infractions in their criminal record.
It is not yet clear what changes can be made to the bill. The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed its willingness to consider more personalized immigration measures that Democrats can bring to the president’s table. A White House official said the government is in “regular contact” with lawmakers on immigration reform and will continue to hold briefings on Biden’s immigration priorities as Congress considers the proposals.
Congressman Tom Malinowski (DN.J.), an unstable district Democrat, argued with the Biden’s Hill team that an electronic verification clause should be part of the project, just as it was in the 2013 bipartisan immigration project that stayed a little short of the passage.
“Yes, I support what’s on the account. I think we would be in a stronger position to implement it if we eventually ended up where, I think, the middle ground is, ”said Malinowski. “I think that for solid political and practical reasons and for moral reasons, these two things should go together.”
The biggest fear of many progressives, however, is what can happen to the bill to win over party centrist, either in the House or when the bill is sent to the Senate.
“We don’t want this bill to be watered down before it reaches the floor, which is sometimes the case with immigration projects,” said Jayapal.
Immigration advocates argued that failing to act on the issue could again haunt them politically, leaving Democrats vulnerable at their base in 2022.
During a session at the House Democratic Caucus virtual retreat on Wednesday, advocates shared a new survey conducted for immigrant rights groups FWD.us and America’s Voice, which showed that 63 percent of voters would be “upset” if protections for undocumented immigrants did not get through. The online poll of 1,200 voters who participated in the 2020 election was conducted from 20 to 26 February.
A Clean Dream Act proposal received the most national support with 72 percent of voters supporting it compared to 71 percent in support of a bill that grants citizenship to undocumented rural workers and 66 percent of citizenship support for workers undocumented essentials. The latter is a proposal that was promoted by Deputy Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) alongside Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) And Alex Padilla (D-California).
“Voters will be upset about inaction, especially voters that Democrats need to appear in midterm elections,” said the memo shared with House Democrats and obtained by POLITICO. “Republicans will not receive all the blame, or even most, if efforts to pass citizenship bills fail.”