President Barack Obama urged the House of Representatives today to follow the lead of the Senate and approve a sweeping overhaul of US immigration laws.
«Today, the Senate did its job. It’s now up to the House to do the same,» Obama said in a statement issued after the Senate voted 68-32 to pass the immigration plan. The statement was issued from Dakar, Senegal, where Obama was traveling.
Enactment of the immigration plan would mark a substantial achievement for the start of Obama’s second term, but the legislation faces grim prospects in the Republican-controlled House.
Obama urged those Americans who support the measure to contact their elected representatives to press them to vote for it.
«Now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality. We cannot let that happen,» he said.
«If you’re among the clear majority of Americans who support reform – from CEOs to labor leaders, law enforcement to clergy – reach out to your member of Congress. Tell them to do the right thing,» Obama said.
The US Senate’s vote passing a broad immigration reform bill fell two votes short of what some of its main backers had said was necessary to pressure the House of Representatives to act.
The Senate voted 68-32 for the bill, giving more than two-thirds support in the 100-member chamber. Earlier, backers said they were pushing to get 70 votes to help sway the more conservative House to consider it.
Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa called the failure to hit 70 votes a strategic setback for proponents. Yet backers insisted that they were happy with 68-32 tally, saying it demonstrated broad bipartisan support, and eight more than the 60 that is traditionally needed to clear procedural roadblocks.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald