A senior Democratic aide said, “things have clearly unraveled in the past couple of days,” even though some lawmakers had been “slightly cautiously optimistic” about passing a comprehensive bill.
“The thing is, we could pass most of the Senate bill with Democrats and moderate Republicans but if the Speaker isn’t going to allow it to come to the floor, it’s pretty much over,” the aide said, referring to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “This bill could pass but it likely won’t.”
“If I were betting on this, I’d say it’s not looking good. Not at all,” the aide added. “If anything passes it’s going to be some watered-down bill beefing up border security agents or something along those lines.”
Democratic lawmakers also expressed doubt that the measure could clear the House.
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