Speaker John Boehner is already getting pressured regarding the immigration bill the House will consider when they return on July 10th.
Heritage Action for America and Club for Growth are sending signals to the Speaker they are going to keep him in line. Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham told CQ Roll Call there is “a disconnect” between the GOP leadership “and the conservative voters they allegedly represent.” He went on to say “Our job is to make it impossible for them to get to 218 unless they are doing the right thing.”
Chris Chocola, head of the Club for Growth, said if his group does its job, it will get enough of its endorsed candidates into Congress that “they’ll elect one of their own for leadership.”
Some senators are getting into the mix. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) dismissed this so-called mandate from the Senate to pass similar “reforms” with a tweet that said “Bill supporters fell well short of a vote total in the 70s which they promised so this has no momentum at all in the House.”
“House Republicans have a chance to be the higher chamber and get reform right,” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK). “The House can, and must, do better.”‘
But Republicans seeking Senate-like immigration reform are jumping into the game as well.
Senator Jeff Flake said yesterday that he will start calling calling members of the House Judiciary panel “immediately.”
“There is going to be a lot of pressure to take something up,” Flake said of House leaders.
John McCain (R-AZ) had a message regarding the House “We will be doing whatever we can to convince our colleagues in a respectful manner.”
Yesterday, Speaker Boehner told reporters that there would have to be a majority support for the Conference Report before he would bring it to the floor for a vote. The House is expected to take up the issue when they return from the Fourth of July holiday.