Supporters of the Senate immigration bill got a boost today from the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO report says the bill would boost the economy and reduce federal deficits. But last night, the House approved an immigration bill increasing criminal penalties against anyone in the U.S. illegally.
Idaho Senator Mike Crapo says right now, it looks like an immigration bill could pass the Senate, and that there’s a fair chance the House will pass some kind of reform. But Crapo says he's not certain both sides can ultimately come together. “A bill that puts into place positive and pro-growth immigration policy for our nation can be agreed to, but at this point I’m only fifty percent confident that that can happen.”
Saying he was going out on a limb, Crapo made another prediction. He believes the House will pass a version of the Farm Bill. The Senate passed its version last week. But will the two sides agree on a compromise? “Although it’s not clear, I believe on the Farm bill, that it will," said Crapo. "I believe that in the end we will get a Farm bill to the President’s desk this year.”
The White House threatened this week to veto the bill, if the House puts in too many cuts to the food stamp program. The House’s version would cut $2 billion annually from food stamps and make it harder for some people to qualify. The Obama administration argued that the House should make deeper cuts to farm subsidies like crop insurance instead of to food stamps.
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