INTERVIEW — REP. STEVE KING – R-IA — discuss the immigration fight on Capitol Hill – discuss the immigration fight in Congress.
- Steve King @SteveKingIA: May 16: “Holly Cow! Freedom Caucus is linking Amnesty Bill to Farm Bill! Do I have to start an Anti-Amnesty Caucus? @realDonaldTrump @RepMarkMeadows”
- Paul Ryan: Forcing votes on immigration reform is “futile” (The Hill) — House Speaker Paul Ryan said he is trying to work out a deal with Republicans on an immigration reform bill that has enough support to pass. But so far, he said, no bill has enough support, and he argued against holding votes on bills that can’t go anywhere. “Clearly, we don’t have 218 votes for a specific bill,” Ryan, R-Wis., said Thursday.
- Trump wants action on border wall, immigration (The Hill) — President Trump on Tuesday demanded that Congress make progress on building his signature wall along the Mexican border, underlining his frustration with the lack of legislative progress on immigration. During a visit to Capitol Hill, Trump called on Congress to beef up border security, crack down on so-called sanctuary cities and end the practice of “catch and release” immigration laws — a slate of ideas that have run into a buzz saw of opposition from Democrats. “We are calling on Congress to secure our borders, support our border agents, stop sanctuary cities and shut down policies that release violent criminals back into our communities,” Trump said at an event outside the Capitol honoring fallen law enforcement officers. “We don’t want it any longer. We’ve had it. Enough is enough.”
- Immigration Bills Split House Republicans (WSJ) — WASHINGTON—Support grew in the House for an effort to force a vote on several immigration proposals, sparking some conservatives to consider using a coming vote on the farm bill as leverage to try to block them. GOP Reps. John Katko of New York and David Trott of Michigan on Wednesday joined a push from 18 other centrist Republicans to force a House floor vote on a series of immigration bills, including ones with a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.
- McCarthy to GOP: DACA vote could cost us the House (Politico) — The House Majority Leader warns centrists that forcing votes on immigration could cost the party its majority in the midterms.
- Two more Republicans back immigration discharge petition (The Hill) — Reps. John Katko (N.Y.) and Dave Trott (Mich.) have signed on to a discharge petition to force a series of votes on immigration, becoming the 19th and 20th Republicans to back it. The growing support for the petition comes as GOP leaders have warned rank-and-file Republicans not to support it. The petition, introduced by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) last week, would force votes on four immigration measures on the floor, getting around leadership in the process. The leadership of the majority party can generally control what gets to the floor for a vote, but if a majority of members back a discharge petition, they can force a vote.
