Two House Freedom Caucus members say they are determined to push for a tough immigration reform bill that supports President Donald Trump's plan, rather than "liberal" Senate legislation, The Atlantic reports.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and caucus member Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told The Atlantic in a joint interview that they want the House to pass a bill, written by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., that mirrors Trump's call to build a border wall, sharply reduce the visa lottery program and end so-called chain-migration.
Though Meadows acknowledges that Goodlatte's bill wouldn't pass the Senate, he and Jordan said conservatives are fiercely determined to get the bill to the House floor in the wake of last week's bi-partisan budget deal that rankled caucus members because it increased spending.
"I'm worried, because we were promised a full-scale push and whip operation on Goodlatte and we've just frankly not seen anything close to that," Jordan The Atlantic. "It's basically Bob Goodlatte going around and talking to people, and the Freedom Caucus going around and talking to people. Other than that, you don't hear anything from leadership about the legislation."
Meadows told CBS' "Face The Nation" on Sunday that Republican leadership "caved" on the budget bill. "The real problem with this particular one is that our leadership caved. The swamp won. And the American taxpayer lost."
The Caucus members told The Atlantic the fate of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R.WI, is at stake if he fails to introduce Goodlatte's bill.
The Senate has taken up the immigration reform issue, but Republican leaders say debate over the expiring Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) would be limited to this week.