House to vote on long-shot GOP 'compromise' immigration bill

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The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a broad immigration overhaul bill crafted by House Republican leaders. It is expected to fail, attracting no Democratic votes and scant support from Republican immigration hardliners. The vote on the so-called compromise bill was postponed last week after House leaders determined they didn't have the votes and a more conservative bill failed. "What we have here is the seeds of consensus that will be gotten to, hopefully now but if not, later," House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told reporters Tuesday. HuffPost said that when it "asked a senior GOP aide for a prediction on how many Republicans would vote for the 'compromise' legislation, the aide simply replied with a GIF of a dumpster fire."

The bill would authorize $25 billion for President Trump's Mexico border wall, give young immigrant DREAMers a narrow path to citizenship, restrict legal immigration, and bar the federal government from separating migrant families. House GOP leaders were also considering changes to win the support of hardliners. At the same time, a senior GOP aide told HuffPost, "ultimately, it's a win for leadership because the whole goal of this immigration exercise was to prevent the discharge petition," a parliamentary vehicle GOP moderates and Democrats had used to try to force a vote on a bipartisan immigration bill.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.