Congress

Written by:  Karla McKanders Shortly after health care reform passed, Republicans stated that there will be no cooperation with Democrats for the rest of the year.  Specifically, John McCain stated “There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year. They [Democrats] have poisoned the well in what they’ve done and how they’ve done it.” In addition, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, stated that he was withdrawing support of an outline for joint immigration bill with Democratic Senator Charles Schumer.  The joint bill proposed a pathway citizenship for undocumented immigrants by establishing biometric Social Security cards to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs; strengthening border security and interior enforcement; creating a process for admitting temporary workers; holding employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers; and implementing a tough but fair path to legalization for those already here. Graham echoed McCain’s sentiment that the passage of the health care bill “poisoned the well” of bipartisanship diminishing all hopes of cooperation on immigration reform. On the eve of health care reform, on March 21, 2010, many immigrant's rights advocates descended on the mall in Washington, D.C. to advocate for Congress to start discussions on immigration reform. More immigration rallies are being planned across the country to get Obama to place immigration reform on the Administration’s Agenda.