President Donald Trump has put out a "very good proposal" on immigration, but a more narrow baseline might be necessary to attract the Democrats whose votes will be needed to pass reform measures, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said Tuesday.
"Actually, the baseline is even narrower," the Tennessee Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
"I think the president has put out a very good proposal, OK? And I think that dealing with chain migration that is something that's very, very important for us to do or we end up back in this situation."
However, the bill must receive 60 votes, so that leaves the question about what it will take to sway some Democrats, Corker said, adding he has heard a willingness from the left to accept $25 billion in border security, a "significant move" from where they have been.
"It's actually the more moderate members of the Democratic caucus," Corker said. "Then, [there is] a willingness on the Republican side to deal with the DACA recipients in a way that is appropriate, and then can you build out from there, to make it even more comprehensive than that? I say, good progress."
Meanwhile, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Dick Durbin, D-Md., have been assigned to coordinate the plans that are coming forward.
"[Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell is going to put a bill on the floor, and it is going to be amendable and I think that probably the best way to start again would be with that lowest common denominator and see what can pass from that point on," Corker said.
He also said he thinks that the debate on immigration will have an effect on the upcoming elections.
"I think those people that are running for president in 2020, those people would like to have this as an issue," Corker said. "Those people are running for re-election in 2018, they want to solve this issue, and so I think what you've got is a split in the democratic caucus. And my guess is those who want to get something done are going to be the ones that will be successful in this effort."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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