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The immigration bill is scheduled to make its reappearance in the Senate by the end of this week but the outlook for its future depends on who you ask. Even with a deal to bring the measure back for more debate, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Sunday that he was not sure that it would ultimately clear the Senate. “It is a mixed picture,” Mr. McConnell said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” as he laid out the pros and cons of the legislation from the Republican perspective. “It’s hard to know whether the votes will be there to pass it.”

But Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the chief Republican authors of the proposal that has divided the party, predicted success. “If we got to a final vote, there would be a bipartisan majority, because this is a comprehensive approach to a problem that’s been lingering for 20 years,” Mr. Graham said on ABC’s “This Week.” “To my Republican colleagues, this is the best deal we’re ever going to get.” When and how the bill will reemerge is also a little unclear. The Senate has an energy bill to dispose of first, and Senate leaders are considering a range of arcane procedural tactics to assure they retain full control of the floor fight against a concerted effort by conservative Republicans to derail the measure.

But Mr. McConnell was confident the Senate would take care of the immigration legislation within the next two weeks. “I think we’ll finish Senate consideration of the immigration bill, one way or the other, before the Fourth of July,” he said during his television appearance.

The Senate also hopes to finish up its energy legislation by that deadline. But it is still dealing with some thorny issues on renewable fuels and automotive mileage standards – a subject that splits Democrats somewhat with senators from Michigan leading an effort to weaken the fuel economy standards now in the bill. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, may have to force a vote to cut off debate on the energy bill to clear the floor for the immigration measure. In the House, lawmakers will concentrate on the annual spending bills after Republicans and Democrats reached a truce on the handling of money for pet projects sought by lawmakers. But last week’s wrangling has thrown Democrats off schedule and dashed their hopes of completing most of the spending bills before the end of the month. However, Democrats say they will now be able to emphasize the spending priorities they are pursuing, which they believe is a political plus for them and will put Republicans and President Bush on the defensive if they fight the spending increases.

Author: Carl Hulse From: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

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