Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Prove It

They can't say they weren't warned. We already talked about it yesterday. And it finally emerged today.

Of course, we're talking (again) about the discharge petition for HR 15. It finally dropped today. And even as DC pundits speculate on what will result of this, they are starting to realize that comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) remains far from "dead".



Of course, that's what House Republican "leaders" were banking on earlier this year. That's why they thought they could get away with killing their own "principles for immigration reform". And that's why they thought they could get away with hemming & hawing whenever asked about when they'll ever move on CIR.

But really, did they think they could indefinitely move the goal posts on CIR? Did they really think they could forever avoid the hot seat? This is what Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) reminded his colleagues of earlier today.



Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus (D-Paradise) have already signed the discharge petition. They've made it clear they want a House floor vote on CIR. And they've proven they truly want a chance to pass CIR this year.

It remains to be seen if House Republicans will back up any of their pro-reform rhetoric with real action. Ever since they released their "principles for immigration reform", they've only managed to pass 2 anti-immigrant bills. And even as Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) and a few other House Republicans have claimed to "support reform", they've yet to prove it with their votes.



Now, they have a chance to do so. Now, they have a chance to prove their commitment to passing CIR. All they have to do is sign the discharge petition. All they have to do is give all their colleagues a chance to vote on the floor.

It's been 9 months since the Senate passed bipartisan CIR legislation. There's no reason why we've had to wait this long for the House to take action. But at least now, a vehicle exists for the House to finally pass CIR this year. If House Republicans truly want us to believe they want CIR as much as the rest of us, they can now prove it by signing the discharge petition and allowing a floor vote.

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