ushner tells GOP it needs to unify behind his 600 page immigration plan

TheHill.com ^ | 09/11/19 03:27 PM EDT 3,019 | ALEXANDER BOLTON

[robowombat]

Exclusive: Kushner tells GOP it needs to unify behind immigration plan BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 09/11/19 03:27 PM EDT 3,019

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner told Senate Republicans Wednesday that the party should unite behind a 600-page immigration plan he crafted ahead of the 2020 election so the party can provide a positive vision for reform.

President Trump’s son-in-law received a warm reception from Senate Republicans who attended the lunchtime meeting in the Senate’s historic Mansfield Room.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Kushner’s bill would be good for the party because it would define Republicans as the party of legal immigration and draw a contrast with Democrats as the “party of illegal immigration,” according to a person in the room.

Kushner’s main message was that it would be smart for the party to unify behind a plan to counter Democratic attacks that Republicans don’t have any interest in fixing the nation’s broken immigration system.

He told lawmakers “it’s important that Republicans be for something and not against something, and the president has worked hard to design this plan and we want to make sure we can all be unified as a party,” according to the source in the meeting.

He also provided an update on the border wall, telling lawmakers the administration expects to have between 400 and 500 miles built by the end of next year. He noted that the number of immigrants detained at the border has dropped and praised the management of acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan.

Kushner acknowledged that his legislation is a starting point but argued it’s important to begin building on a foundational bill concentrated on two areas where Republican lawmakers can largely agree: strengthening border security and shifting the nation to more of a merit-based immigration system.

His bill does not address more controversial topics such as what to do about immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally at a young age, known as "Dreamers," or E-Verify, a program that enables employers to check on the immigration status of workers.

Kushner described his proposals to beef up border security and reform legal immigration as “smart ideas” and predicted if Republicans can unite themselves they will at a minimum be able to win the policy argument ahead of the 2020 election, if not get a bill passed before 2021.

He said that he has already worked extensively to address GOP concerns, and has specifically addressed 11 issues brought to his attention.

Senate Republicans said the reaction to Kushner's bill, which had been presented in outline form in May, was generally positive, although a few lawmakers raised concerns about missing elements.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), for example, called for it to include E-Verify, which he sees as the most effective way to combat illegal immigration, according to a person familiar with the meeting.

Other lawmakers said they are happy to start small and build up from there.

"This is a pretty good first step,” said Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who has jurisdiction over border security, describing Kushner’s legislation.

The bill had already been circulated to GOP Senate offices over the past two months. It focuses on two areas of immigration reform: strengthening border security and reforming the nation’s legal immigration system.

Johnson said his colleagues seemed enthusiastic about Kushner’s ideas.

“I didn’t hear any negatives. You heard certain suggestions. Nobody is going to agree on everything,” he said, though he acknowledged that Kushner’s plan will have to be expanded.

“People do recognize that in order to pass something you’re going to have to eventually be discussing and add different elements, but I’d much rather do one step at a time and concentrate on something we hopefully can agree on,” Johnson added.

Senate Republican Steering Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah), who hosted the lunch and introduced Kushner, told colleagues that he had read the bill thoroughly and fully supports it.

“It’s important for us to talk about what we’re for when it comes to immigration,” Lee told The Hill after the meeting.

Johnson, the Homeland Security panel chairman, said Kushner’s bill would “restore a lot of sanity to the border,” according to sources in the room.

Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) also made complimentary remarks about Kushner and his work, according to a person in the room.

“The thing they’re doing that’s really constructive is they’re reaching out to all the senators to get their ideas and thoughts and comments and questions,” Sullivan later told The Hill.

A Republican senator who requested anonymity to discuss the meeting described the reaction to Kushner as “positive.”

Yet the lawmaker said there are some major issues not addressed in the bill.

“It doesn’t deal with the fundamental issue of the people who are here. So it doesn’t deal with DACA,” he said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protected Dreamers from deportation and which Trump moved to end in 2017.

The lawmaker said the discussion focused on “the border” and “merit-based” immigration.

“So it doesn’t deal with broad, comprehensive immigration,” the senator said.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said there was no pushback to Kushner’s plan in the room.

"No, other than it can't neglect some of the other issues, especially the ones where the Democrats are going to focus on,” Braun said.

Braun said Kushner told GOP senators that he wants to focus on areas of consensus within the Republican Party at the start of the debate.

"He said they're not going to disregard those, but they just want to focus on this because this ought to be something we all can agree to," Braun said.

Asked if he supports the bill, Braun said: "I don't know the details. I'm definitely supportive of the idea of increasing legal immigration."

— Jordain Carney contributed.

[robowombat]

Why doesn't DJT tell this clown to shut up. Half of the problems in the Trump White House have originated with Javanka and their NYC leftist tilt which l,eads them to recommend a lot of beltway types and 'try to bridge the gap' with the rats with their stupid policy recommendations. this is the limit, some 600 page amnesty plan that wonderkind Jared cooked up as a sort of honors research project. These two are just bad news, but its shows how isolated DJT is because he either gets back stabbed by establishment types or just gets the silence as the jackals wait to feast.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Try the Navy Bean Soup.

[Zathras]

The Stupid Party decides to take advice from Kushner?
How about instead they listen to their Base instead of someone who votes Democrat 50% of the time.

[wastedyears]

I do not like that guy.

[deadrock]

No doubt the lawyers’ and lobbyists’ circumlocutory style made it 599 pages to long.

[married21]

You would think Congress would be embarrassed that Kushner is writing legislation for them— enough to come up with something themselves. But they don’t seem to want to do their job.

[ThornJ56]

“it’s important that Republicans be for something and not against something, and the president has worked hard to design this plan and we want to make sure we can all be unified as a party,”

He’s not wrong.

[Dagnabitt]

Asked if he supports the bill, Braun said: “I don’t know the details. I’m definitely supportive of the idea of increasing legal immigration.”

Trump was elected to do the opposite of this.

[Rockingham]

We didn’t elect a bridge-the-gap, let’s-get-along type as President. This idiot plan is no doubt loaded with all sorts of compromises and sell outs.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

I like Jared. He has surprised me with his competence especially as it pertains to Middle East matters.

I just don’t see why it has to be 600 pages maybe 10? Page 1 should be a sketch of a wall.

[nathanbedford]

Kushner described his proposals to beef up border security and reform legal immigration as “smart ideas” and predicted if Republicans can unite themselves they will at a minimum be able to win the policy argument ahead of the 2020 election, if not get a bill passed before 2021.

How long, Oh how long will the Republican party sell out the middle class for Wall Street/K St. while secure in the knowledge that the base has nowhere else to go?

40% to 60% of illegal immigrants come by way of airports not by way of the southern border. Without E-Verify there is no effective immigration control. With E-Verify the Republican establishment loses Wall Street/K St.

They are choosing the swamp over the middle class, eventually they will pay at the ballot box.

Nepotism is not a good model for governance.

[BobL]

No serious American will take orders from a guy with the name of Jarad.

[Moonman62]

He told lawmakers “it’s important that Republicans be for something and not against something, and the president has worked hard to design this plan and we want to make sure we can all be unified as a party,” according to the source in the meeting.

...

Why does the title say it’s Kushner’s plan? The article says it’s Trump’s plan.

[NTHockey]

600 pages of “immigration reform” and it doesn’t address all the issues? BOHICA

All that is needed is one sentence: “Illegal immigrants will be shot on sight.”

[KobraKai]

I actually wouldn’t mind if the GOP rebelled and stood up for itself, and told Trump no more cooperation on anything until Javanka is out.

[HighSierra5]

Jared is the person who Trump referenced when he said John Bolton wasn’t getting along with the “team”. I know that I’m practically alone in the Free Republic but I would rather have Bolton in the Cabinet than that pencil necked geek of a son in law. He’s the one that probably cooked up that hair brained idea of having those filthy animal Tolleybon stink up Camp David.

[Jim Noble]

His bill does not address more controversial topics such as what to do about immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally at a young age, known as "Dreamers,"

All Trump has to do is to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

The People, through their representatives, have already passed, and Presidents have signed, laws which are very specific about "what to do with the Dreamers".

Enforce the People's laws, Mr. President.

[odawg]

“...it would be smart for the party to unify behind a plan to counter Democratic attacks that Republicans don’t have any interest in fixing the nation’s broken immigration system.”

Even the democrats know better than to claim that.

He has got to be kidding.

Not knowing what the plan is, that asinine statement makes me highly suspicious.

[DoodleDawg]

If it does nothing about E-Verify or serious sanctions on employers who hire illegal aliens then it’s basically worthless. Walls will not halt illegal immigration. The only way to really end it is to cut off the reason why they come - jobs. Make it impossible to work here and you remove the reason for coming. And unless employers start going to jail for not verifying the status of their employees then there won’t be any incentive to stop hiring them.

[MrEdd]

Yes, as a matter of fact, the filthy little turd is wrong.