According to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, the country is split on the Senate’s immigration bill, which includes a pathway to citizenship. Photo by Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
By Terence Burlij and Katelyn Polantz
It has been nearly a month since the Senate passed an overhaul of the country’s immigration system, and with the issue stalled since moving over to the House, supporters of reform will have to wait for lawmakers to return from their month-long August break before seeing any real movement on legislation.
The partisan divide in Congress over how to move forward on immigration reform is reflected in a new Washington Post/ABC News poll released Tuesday. The public is split almost down the middle on the bill passed by the Senate last month, with 46 percent of Americans supporting the proposal, which includes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and tougher border security measures, and 44 percent saying they oppose it.
The Senate plan is favored by 55 percent of Democrats and 50 percent of independents, but 62 percent of Republicans disapprove of the measure.
Half of respondents said they would be disappointed if the House did not include a path to citizenship in its version, with 83 percent of Hispanics saying so. Among whites, half said they would be relieved if the House plan did not contain such a provision.
If the House does not include a path to citizenship, 63 percent of respondents said they would blame Republicans for leading the opposition, while just 20 percent would fault President Barack Obama for failing to secure the votes.
Politico’s Seung Min Kim writes that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte recently floated the idea of legalizing the 11 million undocumented immigrants, but notes that supporters of a comprehensive plan remain uncertain about what his approach would mean:
The Virginia Republican’s idea: legalize the 11 million undocumented immigrants and allow them to apply for citizenship using ways that already exist — including marriage to a U.S. citizen or sponsorship by another relative or an employer.
As chairman of the committee with primary control over immigration matters, Goodlatte is a key point man for House Republicans on immigration policy. It’s unclear whether his comments reflect the larger view of House Republicans, many of whom are flat-out resistant to the idea of allowing a pathway to citizenship to those here illegally.
But the chairman’s July 11 comments have piqued interest among immigration advocates. Reformers want to hear more about what the powerful chairman is thinking. Many are encouraged that Goodlatte is seeking solutions for undocumented immigrants. But others note that Goodlatte’s proposal could be legally unworkable.
As the House moves forward with its piecemeal approach, the Post/ABC survey found 53 percent support for breaking the Senate bill up into individual pieces to be considered separately. About a third of respondents said the House should give the Senate plan an up-or-down vote.
In an interview with CBS News that aired Sunday, House Speaker John Boehner maintained the House would not act on the Senate plan.
“We’ve got a very big problem,” Boehner said. “And what I’ve committed is that, one, the House does not like the Senate bill. You know, it’s one big massive bill that, in my opinion, doesn’t have enough serious triggers to protect our borders.”
The Ohio Republican also refused to say whether he would allow a measure with a path to citizenship to come up for a vote in the House. “I’m not going to predict what’s going to be on the floor and what isn’t going to be on the floor, and that’s what you’re asking me to do. I can’t do that, and I don’t want to do that," he said. “What I committed to when I became speaker was to a more open and fair process. And as difficult as this issue is, me taking a hard position for or against some of these issues will make it harder for us to get a bill."
With just more than a week until lawmakers depart Washington for their districts, allies of President Barack Obama are planning a campaign-style push over the recess to pressure Republicans into supporting immigration reform when they return in September.
LINE ITEMS
- The president will deliver a major economic speech Wednesday. The New York Times previews his strategy and examines his use of the phrase “middle out.”
- Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens criticized the court’s decision to invalidate a key part of the Voting Rights Act in a book review he wrote on the history of the act by academic Gary May. He reaches back to voting practices before even the Civil War to explain how the 1965 act worked to settle inequality among the states.
- Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama released a statement Monday congratulating the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their newborn baby boy. “The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations. Given the special relationship between us, the American people are pleased to join with the people of the United Kingdom as they celebrate the birth of the young prince,” the White House statement said.
- Bloomberg’s Hans Nichols scoops that the president is considering Sarah Bloom Raskin, Federal Reserve governor and a former Maryland financial regulator, to be the next Deputy Treasury Secretary.
- Former member of Congress and current San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is getting sued by an ex-aide for sexual harassment.
- Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., has received donations from Koch Industries PAC and the leadership PACs of establishment Republicans in the second quarter, but will have to keep at it now that he’s facing a primary challenge from Liz Cheney.
- People, especially a few senior citizens, keep sending checks to the Obama campaign. Reid Epstein and Byron Tau of Politico look into why.
NEWSHOUR ROUNDUP
- Political Editor Christina Bellantoni interviewed Victor Navasky about his book on political cartoons, “The Art of Controversy.” Watch here.
- Margaret Warner talked with Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post about the late Helen Thomas’ legacy as a journalism trailblazer.
Editor’s note: Our apologies on the Morning Line being a bit less robust than usual, especially in our line item links and top tweets roundup. The PBS NewsHour website is facing some technical difficulties, but our content is still online at www.pbs.org/newshour/. We hope to be back to normal by Wednesday.
Christina Bellantoni, Simone Pathe and Jordan Vesey contributed to this report.
Questions or comments? Email Christina Bellantoni at cbellantoni-at-newshour-dot-org.