HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) – Not exactly brimming with confidence, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he’s going to try to push a House-passed bill to overturn President Barack Obama’s immigration policies through the Senate.
But neither McConnell nor other members of his leadership – and not even senior House Republicans – predict success for the plan that undoes Obama’s moves and exposes hundreds of thousands of younger immigrants to deportation.
“Good question,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday when asked about the bill’s prospects in the Senate. “It’s a process,” added Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., equally noncommittal on the subject as Republicans held a joint retreat in this capital of chocolates and sweets.
The $39.7 billion legislation funds the Homeland Security Department for the remainder of the budget year while undoing executive actions by Obama offering protections to millions of immigrants in the country illegally.
“We’re going to try to pass it. That’ll be our first choice,” McConnell told reporters at a news conference at the homey Hershey Lodge. “If we’re unable to do that, we’ll let you know what comes next.”