March 11, 2010, 7:19 p.m.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) used a Thursday
meeting with President Barack Obama on immigration reform to warn him
that the issue “could come to a halt for the year” if Democrats use
reconciliation to pass health care reform.
Graham, along with Sen. Charles Schumer
(D-N.Y.), met with Obama to update him on their efforts to advance
immigration reform legislation. During the meeting, Graham said he made
it clear to the president that the already difficult task of passing
immigration reform becomes even harder when reconciliation is in play.
“I expressed, in no uncertain terms, my belief
that immigration reform could come to a halt for the year if health
care reconciliation goes forward. For more than a year, health care has
sucked most of the energy out of the room. Using reconciliation to push
health care through will make it much harder for Congress to come
together on a topic as important as immigration,” Graham said in a
statement.
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