House Republicans not warming up to Bush’s proposals; Sensenbrenners says White House had requested some of the House bill’s provisions

May 17, 2006

President Bush's new push for overhauling immigration laws found House Republicans responding coolly, saying they still had reservations about his vision for a guest worker program and legalization for illegal aliens.

Bush's had emphasized improving border security in his television address, trying to produce enough momentum to overcome the divisions on immigration policy within the GOP on Capitol Hill. The administration continued to press its case following the speech, with Bush promoting his plan to use the National Guard to help secure the border.

But after the president provided detailed views on the immigration issue for the nation, the prospects that he would get a final bill to sign remained uncertain, at best.

In the House, there was little sign that Bush's proposals had made much headway among Republican leaders who, in December, had passed an enforcement only bill.

Two days after Bush’s speech, Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, author of the House border security bill, accused Bush of abandoning the House legislation after having asked for many of its provisions.

“A lot of [the House provisions], we were requested to put in the bill by the White House,' Sensenbrenner told reporters in a conference call. 'That was last fall when we were drafting the bill, and now the president appears not to be interested in it at all.'

As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Sensenbrenner will be the House's chief negotiator on any final immigration package. He said the White House had requested two controversial felony provisions in the bill the House passed last winter.

'We worked very closely with White House in the fall in putting together the border security bill that the House passed. What we heard in November and December, is the opposite of the direction the President is taking in May. That is really at the crux of this irritation,' he said.

The bill the House passed last year concentrates on beefing up the enforcement of existing laws against illegal immigration and toughening border security. It includes no provisions for a guest worker program or a way for illegal immigrants to become citizens. Many House Republicans have stressed their opposition to such proposals.

The Senate bill includes border security measures but, in line with Bush's positions, also offers steps toward legalization for most of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and a guest worker program that allows some participants to apply for legal status.