McMorris Rodgers blocked vote

Tom Horne’s Sept. 14 letter (“Read CMR’s comments”) is very misleading. Repeatedly, Cathy McMorris Rodgers has simply parroted Republican speakers of the House – Reps. John Boehner and Paul Ryan — with no mind of her own. Nevertheless, she is listed among House Republican leadership. As such, she joined the leadership’s block of a full House vote on the June 27, 2013, bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate, even though it had enough votes to pass the House at the time. Enough House Republicans joining Democrats favored the bipartisan Senate bill for it to become law with then-President Obama’s signature had Republican House leaders, including McMorris Rodgers, allowed a vote by the full House.

The law would have ended deportations except in criminal cases. Thus Mr. Horne’s statement that “Cathy and the Republican leadership want “comprehensive immigration reform” like the Senate passed in 2013, which would give legal status to almost all 11 million illegal aliens” is completely false.

Most definitely, McMorris Rodgers’ idea of “comprehensive immigration reform” is altogether different from that of the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate. As usual, she simply follows the Republican House leadership, and it advocates a draconian approach to immigration.

Norm Luther

Spokane