Speaker Ryan Nearing Deal With Pro-amnesty Republicans To Avoid Disastrous Discharge Petition

Chris Chmielenski

by Chris Chmielenski: According to multiple reports, House Speaker Paul Ryan is nearing a deal with Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) that would set up votes on several immigration proposals in June in lieu of a discharge petition that would likely lead to the House passing a no-strings amnesty for at least 1.8 million.

Leadership is also working with House Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to bring Rep. Bob Goodlatte's (R-Va.) H.R. 4760, the Securing America's Future Act, to the floor for a vote. Earlier today, the House Freedom Caucus killed Speaker Ryan's farm bill because he has yet to commit to a vote on the Goodlatte bill.

A deal is needed to stop the discharge petition of Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Denham. It now has 196 signatures. Most of the petition signers are Democrats. The number of House Republicans who have signed stands at 20. If only 5 more Republicans and the rest of the House Democrats sign on, it will have the 218 votes needed to force a series of votes that would likely set up more endless chains of migration for amnestied illegal aliens while allowing employers to hire workers without using the E-Verify system.

Speaker Ryan is working with the 20 House Republicans who have already signed the petition and several Members who could sign but who have indicated a willingness to end the petition effort in exchange for other immigration votes this summer.

It's good news if the House can avoid Rep. Denham's disastrous resolution.

But, it's disappointing that Speaker Ryan seems to be more concerned about appeasing the pro-amnesty wing of the Republican caucus and the cheap labor business lobby rather than using his leadership authority to silence the revolt.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN?
There are some conflicting reports, but if a deal is struck, there could be a number of immigration votes in the House over the next few months.

As I said, one vote would likely be on Rep. Goodlatte's H.R. 4760. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Reps. Meadows, Jordan, and the House Freedom Caucus who have been pushing for this vote since last year.

Another vote -- to appease the petition signers and supporters -- would be on a proposal that likely trades a DACA amnesty for enforcement.

We'll continue to monitor the situation and alert you of action opportunities as things develop. For those of you that have made phone calls to GOP Leadership and House targets this week, thank you for your activism efforts! Your actions helped provide enough pressure on House Leadership to at least take the petition threat seriously, despite the possible outcome.
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Chris Chmielenski is the Director, Content & Activism for NumbersUSA

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