Hours before House showdown votes on immigration, President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that any measure the chamber passes would be doomed in the Senate anyway. His comments could
weaken Republicans’ already uphill drive to pass legislation on an issue that’s become politically fraught amid heart-rending images of migrant families being separated at the border.
The House prepared to vote Thursday on a Republican immigration bill containing language aimed at halting the taking of immigrant children from parents being detained for illegally entering the U.S. The measure has seemed like a longshot to pass, due to opposition by some GOP conservatives and Democrats, and Trump’s remark could complicate party leaders efforts to round up votes for it.
“What is the purpose of the House doing good immigration bills when you need 9 votes by Democrats in the Senate, and the Dems are only looking to Obstruct (which they feel is good for them in the Mid-Terms),” Trump tweeted. “Republicans must get rid of the stupid Filibuster Rule-it is killing you!”
In the unlikely event that the House approves the legislation, it seemed certain to go nowhere in the GOP-run Senate, where Democrats have enough votes to use a filibuster — procedural delays — to kill it. It takes 60 votes to end filibusters.