\nwas thrown into turmoil over the weekend after a key Republican abruptly pulled
\nhis support for a compromise energy and climate bill<\/a>. Sen. Lindsey Graham
\n(R-S.C.) abandoned what Democrats said was a painstakingly negotiated climate
\nbill, saying he was outraged over a decision by Senate Majority Leader Harry
\nReid (D-Nev.) to move forward on an immigration bill first.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
White House officials appeared to be taken aback by the
\nmove, unsure how to respond to the unraveling of a major component of the
\npresident’s strategy both for meeting his international pledges on climate
\nchange and shifting the U.S. economy from its heavy reliance on foreign oil.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“We need and we welcome that cooperation from Sen.
\nGraham. … There is no either\/or between energy and immigration reform,”
\nsaid Lawrence Summers, the head of the White House National Economic Council.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“Even though immigration reform and energy reform are
\nboth crucial issues for the business community, there has been an enormous back
\npressure against the kind of bipartisan cooperation that Sen. Graham has
\nengaged in, and that perhaps has made this a more complex situation, more
\ndifficult for him than it would otherwise be,” Summers said on CBS’s Face
\nthe Nation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“But we are prepared to go ahead vigorously with any
\npartner who wants to join us on both energy reform and immigration legislation
\nbecause we think gridlock needs to end,” he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reid’s sudden shift in legislative priorities comes as
\nDemocrats face an increasingly hostile climate in November midterm elections.
\nObama won 67 percent of the Hispanic vote in the 2008 presidential elections,
\nbut Hispanics have grown impatient with the administration as immigration
\nreform has been sidelined by other priorities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ironically, Graham and Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of
\nNew York had hammered out an immigration reform bill that would lay the path to
\nlegalization for millions of illegal immigrants, reinforce border controls, and
\ncreate a process to admit temporary workers and produce biometric Social
\nSecurity cards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But in a letter Saturday, Graham accused the administration
\nof putting “partisan, political objectives” ahead of the energy bill,
\nwarning that “moving forward on immigration—in this hurried, panicked
\nmanner—was nothing more than a cynical political ploy.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Graham’s partners in crafting the climate bill, Democratic
\nSen. John Kerry (Mass.) and independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Conn.), called
\noff plans to introduce it on Monday as they regrouped.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kerry warned that this year was “our best and perhaps
\nlast chance” for Congress to pass a comprehensive reform bill that
\nencompassed both climate change and energy. “We have no choice but to act
\nthis year. The American people deserve better than for the Senate to defer this
\ndebate or settle for an energy-only bill that won’t get the job done,” he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He credited Graham with helping to build “an
\nunprecedented coalition of stakeholders from the environmental community and
\nthe industry who have been prepared to stand together behind a proposal. That
\ncan’t change. We can’t allow this moment to pass us by.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But Republicans questioned whether either the climate or immigration
\nreform should be brought to a vote at a time when Congress has its hands full
\nwith reforming the regulation of the U.S. financial system and major pending
\nappropriations bills.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“I’m not sure how you can really justify bringing
\neither one of them up at this point,” Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby
\nChambliss told CNN’s State of the Union.
\n“I mean, we’ve got a budget to deal with. We’ve got a lot of work left on
\nour plate between now and the rest of the summer.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Summers also suggested that climate bill-immigration reform
\nflap was a distraction for the administration. “Frankly, for our part,
\nwhat’s really overwhelmingly important is that financial reform pass as soon as
\npossible as the next step,” he said.<\/p>\n
Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Bolivia ‘people’s conference’ calls for system change, not climate change<\/a><\/p>\n Graham says he’s going to bail on the climate bill<\/a><\/p>\n Federal climate policy should preempt state and regional initiatives<\/a><\/p>\n