Jeb Bush had strong words for fellow Floridian Marco Rubio on Friday, claiming the senator is avoiding taking a stand in the immigration debate in Washington out of political cowardice. "The left and the right have figured out that this is a great political wedge issue," Bush told USA Today, referring to the ongoing debate over undocumented immigrants and the fate of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. "It's not a moral issue or an economic issue. It's purely an issue of, 'How do we poll this to make sure our team, our tribe, does better?'"
Rubio was notably one of the bipartisan Gang of Eight, which pushed in 2013 for a comprehensive immigration reform bill that ultimately died in the House after failing to go to a vote. Bush suggested that Rubio's silence now, after having formerly been a leader on the topic, is conspicuous.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bush and Rubio faced off for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, with both men ultimately losing the nod to Donald Trump. Bush, who formerly served as the governor of Florida, added that his disgust with Capitol Hill is keeping him from returning to politics. Until the culture in Washington changes, "I don't anticipate running for anything," he said.
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
