67-27: Senate Votes to Move Amnesty Bill Forward

On Monday, the Senate voted to cut off debate on the Schumer-Corker-Hoeven substitute amendment to the Gang of 8 amnesty bill. 

The full chamber will now vote on the amendment, which will replace the original Gang of 8 bill as the final Senate immigration legislation. Majority Leader Reid will soon seek to cut-off debate on the main bill, with final votes on the legislation likely scheduled for Thursday or Friday. 

Supporters of the “Gang” legislation have long predicted strong bi-partisan support for their immigration reform legislation. The effort ran into trouble last week, however, as details about the weakness of the bill and its border security provisions were made public. The Corker-Hoeven Amendment was quickly drafted to overcome these concerns. 

That Amendment and other changes to the bill were released Friday evening. The full consequences of the new proposal are only now coming to light. The next 48-72 hours will be critical in determining the fate of the legislation. Supporters probably have the votes to secure passage in the Senate, but have said repeatedly that they need 70 or more votes to pressure the House to act. Whether they get that on final passage remains unclear.