Politics

Mitch McConnell: Immigration issue is an ‘irresolvable conflict’ in 2014

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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Sen. Mitch McConnell Tuesday referred to immigration as an “irresolvable conflict.”

“I don’t see how you get to an outcome this year with the two bodies in such different places,” he said during his weekly press conference. He was referring to the fact that the Senate passed comprehensive reform, while the House is pursuing piecemeal legislation.

It may sound like mere political analysis, but — coming from Minority Leader McConnell — this strikes me as an important signal that immigration reform isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Keep in mind, this comes on the heels of McConnell’s number two in the Senate, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, saying he was “very skeptical that anything’s going to happen between now and November” — and that: “I honestly don’t think [it] is advantageous to us between now and November to engage in the divisive discussion about immigration.”

It’s fair to note that McConnell and Cornyn are both on the ballot in November, which might impact their decisions. But it’s also likely they have more at stake, in terms of the possibility of retaking the U.S. Senate (as opposed to Speaker John Boehner, who figures to easily maintain a Republican majority over in the House), and that might have something to do with their less-than-optimistic approach to immigration reform in 2014.

Reading between the lines here, it sounds like Republican leadership in the Seante has zero interest in tackling immigration — until at least after the midterm elections.