Republican messaging bills like the Laken Riley Act that were dead on arrival in the last Congress have sprung to life with a GOP-led Senate and President-elect Donald Trump headed to the Oval Office.
But the immigration bill may be one of the few success stories on the horizon as the Senate gears up for a jam-packed schedule and confirming Trump’s Cabinet nominees that will take top priority.
The Laken Riley Act was one of 12 bills included in the rules package passed by the House after swearing-in members last week that will be fast-tracked through the chamber without allowing for hearings or amendments, by limiting debate and waiving all other chamber rules.
Many of the bills focus on immigration and border security, while others include legislation on the International Criminal Court and abortion — all areas Republicans campaigned on and promised to advance on “day one.”
The bills are slated to roll out individually on the House floor throughout the coming weeks. The next vote, a bill to sanction the ICC for issuing an arrest warrant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for suspected war crimes, is set for Thursday. It will be up to Senate Republicans to decide when, or if, to schedule votes of their own on anything that clears the House.
Pushing the bills through the Republican Senate will prove far harder said than done, given the upper chamber’s 60-vote filibuster. With a 53-47 majority, Republicans will need buy-in from at least seven Democrats on any of the House-passed measures that come to the floor.
Gaining support from across the aisle on GOP bills Democrats have chastised as “empty” and politically charged will be no easy feat, particularly if it means delivering Trump and Republicans early legislative wins.
“There’s something that’s substantively empty about these bills,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told the Washington Examiner. “But they have a certain kind of symbolic force to them.”
Laken Riley Act could pass under bipartisan support — will the others?
The House passed the Laken Riley Act on Tuesday, with the Senate set to hold a procedural vote on Friday. It currently has one Democratic sponsor, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), but several Democrats have indicated they could support the bill.
Other bills such as the SAVE Act, which prohibits noncitizens from voting, and the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, which would ensure that sex in athletics is recognized based on genetics at birth, may not gain as much Democratic support in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Tuesday began the process of scheduling a vote on the transgender legislation, marking the second proposal from House Republicans’ list of priorities that the Senate will address. The ICC sanctions legislation may also attract bipartisan support, but the Senate has not teed up any action.
But the Senate may soon lack the bandwidth to set aside such valuable floor time for stand-alone measures that may not garner the required Democratic support. Republicans will prioritize confirming dozens of Trump’s nominees for his Cabinet and other positions once he takes office on Jan. 20, in addition to filling vacancies on the federal bench.
“Obviously, we’ll be focused on that, and then on all the Executive Branch nominees. But it’s taken a lot longer now,” Thune told the Washington Examiner in a recent interview. “Obama’s first 12 nominations were completed in 15 days. It took 42 days for Trump, 50 for Biden. We’re sliding in the wrong direction, and I think it’s important that we get back to the Obama standard.”
Senate Republicans also plan in the coming weeks to file a litany of so-called Congressional Review Acts, measures aimed at rolling back Biden-era administrative policies that will only require a simple majority, according to Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY).
Adding to their lengthy to-do list, congressional Republicans are also weighing at least one budget reconciliation bill to address specific policies like taxes, immigration, and energy that will only need a simple majority. Congress must also pass an annual spending budget by March 14 to avoid a government shutdown.
House Democrats accuse Republicans of drifting away from campaign promises
In the new Congress, House Democrats are grappling with seeing the bills they once blasted as political posturing now on track to becoming law.
“One thing that strikes me is that the campaign was one on the theory that they were going to bring down prices and end inflation. I’m not seeing any legislation to address inflation at all,” Raskin said. “That was the heart of the campaign.”
Raskin added that the Laken Riley Act “doesn’t actually address the immigration crisis” despite immigration being one of the top issues among 2024 voters.
“It’s a change to the criminal laws,” Raskin said. “And you know, whatever you think of it — and I don’t think much of their particular proposal — it does not begin to address the real immigration crisis that they’ve identified.”
A House Democratic whip notice from earlier Friday noted that Raskin strongly opposed the bill and encouraged Democrats to vote “no.” However, 48 Democrats joined all Republicans in sending the bill over to the Senate.
Among those 48 Democrats were over a dozen new members casting their first vote, many of whom represent swing states and districts.
One House Democrat who voted for the Laken Riley Act supported the bill because “we should prosecute undocumented persons who commit a crime or present a danger to themselves or others.”
However, the Democrat, speaking on background to the Washington Examiner, noted the symbolism of the bills the Republicans chose to bring forward.
“They seem to be focusing on immigration and culture wars, but I don’t think that’s why they got elected,” the Democrat said. “They got elected because of the economy and high costs, but their agenda only raises costs more.”
Some Democrats have taken issue with the fact that the 12 bills coming up in the House will not give them any chance for debate or amendments to be offered. With a razor-thin but, for now, unified majority, it is not likely any amendments or motions to table offered by Democrats would be passed.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said the 12 bills are part of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) “cutting a deal to be speaker” and cutting off any chance for Democratic input.
“When you have actual debate and an actual markup, then at least you open the door to have some amendments and have some bipartisanship,” Aguilar said. “That is not what the Republican conference is interested in right now. We’ll see if that changes.”
Hailey Bullis contributed to this report.
