Republican lawmakers in the House have punted on immigration once again, delaying a vote on the measure.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
You know, in terms of policy reversals, the Trump administration’s handling of the issue of separating migrant children from their parents at the border is pretty remarkable. The administration has gone from denying this was a policy at all to insisting it was up to Congress to change it, to President Trump changing the policy himself two days ago.
And now to this morning, President Trump is tweeting that Congress shouldn’t even bother holding a vote on a long-term fix. Congress had already punted plans to vote on a compromise immigration bill until next week. This bill sought to carve out a path to citizenship for the DREAMers brought here as children. It would also provide billions of dollars for a border wall and help to keep migrant families together in detention.
Let’s bring in NPR White House correspondent Scott Horsley to help us sort through this. Hi, Scott.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Good morning, David.
GREENE: OK. So the president is tweeting that it’s not even worth trying anymore. Does that mean this whole debate over immigration is effectively dead for now?
HORSLEY: Well, it’s certainly not helpful for those trying to pass a bill. And it’s not the first time the president has sabotaged that effort. Remember, in his stream-of-consciousness interview with Fox News a week ago, the president misspoke and said he opposed this bill. And the White House then waited a whole day before correcting the record and said, no, he was in support of it. Today, he’s tweeting that Republicans should stop wasting their time on immigration until they can get more votes because Democrats, he said, are just playing games.
Now, it’s no surprise House Democrats are not falling over themselves to pass this bill to solve a problem they see of the president’s own making. But in the House, it’s not the Democrats who are the problem. It’s the Republicans who could pass this bill if they were united – they’re not. And the president isn’t helping them to get united.
GREENE: But there are so many pressing questions right now with a lot of lives hanging in the balance, right? I mean, you’ve got these kids who were separated from their parents under the president’s policy. He…
