11/11/2005: Immigration Recapture Bill in Impasse Over Budget Reduction Battle in the House
Senator Arlen Specter, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, proposed this immigration bill as part of the Budget Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005 and it appears that the strategy worked in the Senate. However, the House leaders are battling with the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 even without the immigration recapture provisions as revealed by its cancellation of vote yesterday. The House GOP leaders are considering to try a vote again when it comes back from the Veterans Day (today) holiday weekend. The Senate S. 1932 is at this time trapped in the House internal struggle. At this time, no member of the House has come forward to introduce an amendment to add the Senate immigration packet to the House bill on the floor. In fact, it is not clear whether such amendment strategy will work better than the strategy to handle the S. 1932 immigration bill rather at the conference level. At this point, quick vote of the House budget bill with or without immigration packet is the top priority from the perspectives of the immigration community. Please read the New York Times report on yesterday's struggle in the House.