Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador (R) quit a bipartisan House group working on immigration legislation.
He sent this tweet after his announcement:
I left Group of 8 #immigration talks today; after today's meeting, framework of bill had changed in a way that I could no longer support
— Raúl R. Labrador (@Raul_Labrador) June 5, 2013
According to The Hill, Labrador's departure still leaves three republicans in the original group of eight. The Capitol Hill insider reports Labrador's departure hinged on concerns about healthcare costs.
Labrador told reporters after an hour-long meeting that he was leaving the group because of concerns that the bill would not sufficiently protect taxpayers from footing the healthcare bill of undocumented immigrants. “I’m just going to move on and work with other members of the House Judiciary Committee to try to craft legislation that can actually pass the House,” Labrador said. “We just couldn’t agree on the healthcare,” he continued. The negotiators have been debating the healthcare language for weeks, and Labrador said that as the most recent addition to a group that had met in secret for four years, he did not want to hold up the completion of far-reaching legislation any longer. -- The Hill
