The only way to get Paul Ryan to do the right thing on immigration is to force him to do it. So several Republicans facing stiff headwinds this fall are trying to use a procedural move to force his hand on taking an immigration vote. The Washington Post writes:
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) filed a discharge petition Wednesday morning that, if signed by a majority of House members, would force votes on a series of immigration bills under a so-called queen of the hill rule. Whichever of those bills receives the most votes, exceeding a majority, would pass the House — a setup that is calibrated to secure passage of a bipartisan compromise.
The petition appears to be getting traction. It started with just seven Republican signers in the morning, a number that had more than doubled to 15 by early afternoon.
Mindful of the treacherous politics surrounding the issue in the Republican Party, Ryan has declined to move forward with any significant immigration legislation since becoming speaker in 2015 despite personally supporting bills that would give some illegal immigrants a pathway to stay legally in the United States.
Translation: Ryan has no effing spine whatever he might claim to be his personal convictions.
Of course, the petition is also a political move by Curbelo and others, many of whom are in moderate districts where they will need to moderate voters to keep their seats in November.
Lawmakers in the majority party are typically reluctant to undermine their leadership’s control of the floor by supporting a discharge. Election-year politics, however, could come into play as vulnerable incumbents are challenged on the campaign trail to support immigration reform legislation.
The “queen of the hill” resolution would allow votes on a variety of bills, ranging from Goodlatte and McCaul’s conservative Securing America’s Future Act to a version of the Dream Act, which would grant a path to citizenship for dreamers without concessions to hard-liners, as well as a bipartisan bill that would give dreamers a path to permanent legal status alongside border security measures. The resolution also allow Ryan (R-Wis.) to bring up a bill of his own choosing.
AshLee Strong, Ryan’s spokeswoman, said, “We continue to work with our members to find a solution that can both pass the House and get the president’s signature.”
Translation: We continue to wait and see what we will be forced to do.