GOP lawmakers decamped Friday from a retreat in West Virginia meant to tout unity around their 2018 agenda without finding a consensus on what to do about recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The political cacophony comes as the Senate is expected to turn to a debate as soon as next week on the fate of the Obama-era program, which allows certain immigrants brought into the country illegally as children to work and go to school in the U.S.
“In all likelihood no, we won’t have a single unified position on that. There will be wide varieties based on where your state is. ... We won’t have a single Republican message,” Sen. James Lankford
James Paul LankfordSenate Republicans call on Trump to preserve NAFTA This week: Trump delivers State of the Union amid immigration fight Five hurdles to getting an immigration deal MORE (R-Okla.) told reporters.
A growing number of Senate Republicans are backing a scaled-back plan that would include only a DACA fix and a border security package — though the details of such an agreement would still need to be sketched out.
Sen. John Thune
John Randolph ThuneApple confirms government inquiry over device slowdowns Senate Republicans call on Trump to preserve NAFTA Key senator floats new compromise for immigration talks MORE (R-S.D.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, said the idea “may be the best we can hope for.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Wellons Moore CapitoThe Hill's 12:30 Report Week ahead in tech: Lawmakers push to improve broadband access The Hill's 12:30 Report MORE (R-W.Va.) also predicted that an agreement that is “much smaller than what the president is going for” is where Congress will end up.
“It’s probably going to be some sort of legal status for DACA recipients that gives them the permanence of legal status and then the border security,” Capito told MetroNews's “Talkline.”
Donald John TrumpSchiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Davis: ‘Deep state’ existed in ’16 – but it elected Trump Former Trump legal spokesman to testify to Mueller about undisclosed call: report MORE and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, and will likely garner backlash from conservatives and the White House.Under the deal struck during a televised meeting last month, negotiators agreed to include a fix for DACA, border security, changes to family-based immigration and the State Department’s diversity visa lottery program in any agreement.
But senators are increasingly looking for a back-up plan as talks among the No. 2s — Sens. John Cornyn
John CornynSenate Republicans call on Trump to preserve NAFTA Key senator floats new compromise for immigration talks Dem whip pushes back on 'four pillars' approach to Dreamers MORE (R-Texas) and Dick Durbin
Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinTourism companies use 's---hole countries' remark to promote tourism in Africa Trump makes case he’s stoking American dream Dem whip pushes back on 'four pillars' approach to Dreamers MORE (D-Ill.) and Reps. Kevin McCarthy
Kevin Owen McCarthyA pro-science approach to Yucca Mountain appropriations Dem whip pushes back on 'four pillars' approach to Dreamers Senate group preparing to pitch immigration ideas MORE (R-Calif.) and Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton HoyerDem whip pushes back on 'four pillars' approach to Dreamers Senate group preparing to pitch immigration ideas Hoyer: Sides moving further away from caps deal MORE (D-Md.) — have failed to produce a deal.
Durbin and Hoyer both told reporters this week that they didn’t believe the talks, which routinely involve White House chief of staff John Kelly
John Francis KellyMORE and Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short, have made progress.
Asked about the role of the group, Durbin laughed.
“That's a very legitimate question,” Durbin said. “So far it has not produced an agreement on any aspect of this. ... We're running out of time.”
Staffers for the four lawmakers met again on Thursday. And members negotiating on the sidelines of the leadership-backed No. 2 talks argue that, rather than trying to force a solution on the chamber, they’re funneling their ideas through Durbin and Cornyn.
“Plan A would be whatever Durbin and Cornyn and the White House can agree on. ... But if they don’t, we want to make sure there’s a Plan B that’s narrower,” said Sen. Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio RubioOvernight Finance: Trump touts trade agenda in State of the Union address | Consumer Bureau ruled constitutional | Fed leaves rates unchanged Trump sounded downright Keynesian in SOTU speech Rubio: ‘We have to do more’ to help Puerto Rico MORE (R-Fla.), who is part of a group being led by Sen. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret CollinsTrump officials take heat for declining Russia sanctions Key senator floats new compromise for immigration talks Senate sends sexual abuse reporting bill to Trump's desk MORE (R-Maine).
The scaled-back plan is already being panned by some members of the caucus who characterize the White House’s framework, released late last month, as a “generous” offer and a sign of Trump’s willingness to compromise after taking a hard line during the 2016 campaign.
“Trump has made a very generous proposal to the young people who came with their parents, they were brought into the country when their parents entered the country in violation of our immigration laws,” Cornyn said.
He predicted separately that any agreement would need to address each of the “four pillars,” adding: “We really need a counterproposal by the Democrats, which we haven’t gotten yet.”
Lankford also said he’s “not interested in a skinny version on immigration.” Sen. Chuck Grassley
Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleySeveral lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo Senate Republicans call on Trump to preserve NAFTA Senate confirms Trump nominee despite missing 'blue slip' MORE (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned if Democrats just want to use the DACA fight as “a campaign issue.”
The divisions among Senate Republicans come as the White House doubles down on its own framework, despite running into widespread opposition from both Democrats and some Republicans who are wary of cuts to legal immigration.
Trump touted his plan, saying it’s a “strong bill, but it’s a very fair bill.”
“If the Democrats choose to filibuster a framework that includes a generous path to citizenship or something that is not fair, we are not going to approve it,” he said.
Trump added in a tweet that Democrats “just aren’t calling” on DACA and “we have a great chance to make a deal or, blame the Dems!”
Many GOP lawmakers are wary of taking up an immigration bill unless it’s backed by Trump, given that the issue is a political lightning rod among the party’s base.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellThe Hill's 12:30 Report Disciplined, SOTU Trump can disappear with the speed of a tweet Republicans head to West Virginia to plot 2018 agenda MORE (R-Ky.) hasn’t tipped his hand on what legislation he could bring up as soon as next week to start the chamber’s immigration fight.
“What I said ... was if the immigration issue was not resolved inside the global discussion … I am perfectly happy provided the government is still open on Feb. 8 to go to the subject and to treat it in a fair way,” he said during a joint press conference with Speaker Paul Ryan
Paul Davis RyanSchumer: Nunes intent on undermining 'rule of law' with altered memo Schiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Several lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo MORE (R-Wis.).
McConnell added that he would not “try to tilt the playing field in anybody’s direction and we’ll see who can get to 60 votes.”
The Senate’s 60-vote requirement, which will force the bill to be bipartisan, puts the chamber at odds with the House. There, immigration hard-liners including Rep. Steve King
Steven (Steve) Arnold KingGOP lawmaker asks Capitol Police to arrest 'Dreamers' at State of the Union A plea for leadership in Washington This week: Trump delivers State of the Union amid immigration fight MORE (R-Iowa) have labeled the president’s proposal as amnesty. The framework included a path to citizenship for up 1.8 million immigrants in exchange for tens of billions for the border wall and other changes to legal immigration.
House conservatives, separately, say any narrow plan coming from the Senate is dead in their chamber, where leadership is under pressure to take up a wide-ranging bill from Rep. Bob Goodlatte
Robert (Bob) William GoodlatteSeveral lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo Key senator floats new compromise for immigration talks Dem whip pushes back on 'four pillars' approach to Dreamers MORE (R-Va.)
And Rep. Mark Meadows
Mark Randall MeadowsGOP lawmakers say Trump would make mistake in firing Rosenstein Ryan urges lawmakers: Don't overplay memo House GOP leaders not whipping conservative immigration bill MORE (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is warning he could demand an agreement in order to help put up the votes to keep the government funded past Feb. 8.
“If we have a commitment on what we’re going to do on immigration, that moves things along,” he said on the sidelines of the party’s retreat, while also pointing to a demand for more defense spending.
GOP leadership has privately expressed skepticism that the Goodlatte bill has the 218 votes needed to pass. McCarthy pointed to the No. 2 talks as the group most likely to be able to get a deal to Trump’s desk.
“If something comes out of this group, it's more likely it's law,” he said, compared to “if they want something to just come out of the Senate, and then we can do something in the House and then we go to conference.”
But some Senate Republicans are pushing forward with the idea that the best way to win over the House would be to pass a bill with the support of at least 70 senators.
“I think if the Senate could pass a bill that could get somewhere around 70 votes and the president got behind it, then it would become law,” Sen. Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin GrahamSeveral lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo Tourism companies use 's---hole countries' remark to promote tourism in Africa Trump signs order to keep Gitmo open MORE (R-S.C.) told radio host Michael Medved.
Capito also predicted that the framework put out by the White House was a “marker” and not the end of negotiations.
“[Trump] knows that’s not going to be the bill that Mitch McConnell puts up on the floor,” she said. “It’s going to more of a consensus kind of bill, I think.”
Scott Wong contributed.
