In a dramatic political blow to the White House, the Senate yesterday killed a bipartisan immigration reform bill that likely would have been the most significant domestic policy achievement of President Bush’s second term.
By a 46-53 vote, the Senate fell well short of the 60 needed to cut off debate and move toward a final vote on the bill.
Thirty-seven Republicans joined 15 Democrats and one independent in voting against ending debate, while 34 Democrats and 12 Republicans wanted to move toward final passage.
Joining in the opposition were three red-state freshman Democrats — Sens. Jim Webb (Va.), Jon Tester (Mont.) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.) — as well as several vulnerable Republicans facing potentially tough 2008 reelection campaigns, including Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Gordon Smith of Oregon, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky and Norm Coleman of Minnesota.
Other than Sununu, each of these Republicans voted for an immigration bill last year that most considered to be far more friendly towards immigrants than the measure that died yesterday in the Senate.
The polarizing debate has pitted conservative critics, who argue that the measure would amount to amnesty for the nation’s 12 million illegal immigrants, against an unusual bipartisan coalition of senators and the White House. The supporters argue that a mix of enforcement measures, along with a legalization program, is the only way to shore up the nation’s broken borders.
“Look at the division here, look at the anger, we can’t perpetuate this,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is up for reelection next year and has come under withering attack in his home state for his role in pushing the bill forward.
But the switched votes from last year highlighted the changing political winds on the issue, with senators concerned that the venom in the opposition could present a major political liability in 2008. Conservative critics have taken to the radio airwaves to excoriate the bill, flooded lawmakers’ offices with phone calls and threatened to mount concerted campaigns to dump supportive senators from office.
While the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed the measure, the AFL-CIO raised concerns with the guest-worker provisions and opposed the bill.
“I think a lot of that had to do with constituent pressure,” said Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), a key supporter, in explaining why the majority of the Republican Conference opposed moving to a final vote. “And there were cross-pressures, and it is a very emotional issue.”
Still, Democrats warned that the issue, which has grown in prominence since last year, would haunt those Republicans along the campaign trail. They argued that the electorate and the growing Hispanic population, which will play a large role in 2008 elections, would hold Republicans responsible for the vote.
“Overwhelming polling data shows people want this fixed,” said Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “People are less clear on what the solution ought to be, and more clear on getting it fixed. So I think there will be a backlash.”
The vote was a major setback to the White House, which dispatched its top two emissaries — Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff — to twist the arms of senators entering the chamber just prior to the vote.
“Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people and Congress’s failure to act on it is a disappointment,” President Bush said, speaking from Rhode Island yesterday.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who last month blamed Bush when the bill hit a snag, yesterday praised the president’s efforts, but pointed to a divided Republican Conference as the reason the bill failed to move.
“Don’t focus on the Democrats. We support this legislation,” said Reid, who also indicated that the upper chamber could take up individual pieces of the bill later this year. “The vast majority of the Democrats support this legislation.”
The bill deeply divided the Republican Conference, and marked a victory for its conservative critics, including Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), David Vitter (La.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.).
These legislators opposed nearly every aspect of the bill, especially the process agreed to by Reid, McConnell and the Republican and Democratic negotiators to finalize the bill behind closed doors and move it forward with a set number of amendments. They hailed the bill’s defeat and said the Senate GOP must now move toward healing the sour feelings that may persist within the caucus.
“I do think this has created real divisions within the party — within our Senate caucus, within the Republican Party more generally,” Vitter said.
“Senator McConnell started that healing process today when he voted no against this cloture motion,” DeMint said. “He said enough is enough, he’s seen the process and he stood up, took the lead for the majority of the Republican Conference.”
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who is McConnell’s deputy, voted for cloture.
The caucus next will take up debate over Iraq, which will highlight growing Republican divisions over Bush’s war strategy.
Still, some Republicans hope they can put the divisive immigration debate behind them for this Congress.
“What occurred today is fairly final,” said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a member of the bipartisan coalition backing the bill. “I don’t see where the political will is there for this issue.”
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