Emanuel: Votes Not There for Reform This Year

Michael Shear and Spencer Hsu write in the Washington Post:

Just hours before President Obama hosted lawmakers for a discussion on immigration at the White House, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel conceded that Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill do not have the votes to pass a comprehensive reform bill.

“If the votes were there, you wouldn’t need to have the meeting. You could go to a roll call,” Emanuel told reporters during an hour-long breakfast.

About 20 senators and House members met with Obama at the White House this afternoon for the discussion in the State Dining Room. Aides to the president said the meeting was intended to “launch a policy conversation by having an honest discussion about the issues and identifying areas of agreement and areas where we still have work to do.”

The president is expected to announce administrative actions that the White House has already taken to chip away at the issues, including a modernization of computers that allow people to quickly see their immigration status. Officials said the White House hopes to begin the more controversial debate over a comprehensive approach to address illegal immigration later this year.

But Emanuel offered reporters a more realistic assessment, saying that while it is “not impossible” to get immigration reform done this year, it is more likely to be pushed off.

“It’s not impossible to do it this year,” he said. “Could you get it in this year? Yes. I think the more important thing is to get it started this year.”

Responding to a question about the political implications for Democrats of delay, Emanuel said, “It’s better that it happens politically. It’s also better that we continue to focus on improving the economy.”  Click here for the rest of the story.

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