It is the last day of the Senate’s two-week July 4 recess. It remains to be seen if a bipartisan group of legislators will be able to reach an agreement on Thursday. This was the goal that all negotiators had hoped for.
It would be best to agree on a framework before the departing party and then to write the legislation during the recess. However, it is not certain that they will be able to achieve this.
The chief congressional negotiator of Republicans, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said last month that it was “June-or-bust” when it comes to reaching a deal. Other negotiators also stated that they would like to see a framework before the end of the month.
CNN was told by Sen. Lindsey Graham (a Republican from South Carolina) that he expected to announce an agreement on a framework Thursday. However, Dick Durbin, a Democratic Senator from Illinois, stated Wednesday that he would not make an announcement tomorrow. We’re getting closer, I believe.”
Durbin is the No. Durbin, who is the No. 2 Democrat in Senate and chairs the Judiciary Committee said that there are several topics and priorities that he goes through each time. While we’ve made some progress on some, there are still a few that need to be addressed.
Scott stated Wednesday to reporters that the group is now focusing on language.
Scott stated, “We’re going to have to now verify the definitions and language that we all put on paper and ensure that we’re all saying the same thing. But I don’t believe there are outstanding issues that need working out. We just need to agree to the actual language we use.”
Scott stated, “We’re going to have to now verify the definitions and language that we all put on paper and ensure that we’re all saying the same thing. But I don’t believe there are outstanding issues that need working out. We just need to agree to the actual language we use.”
Durbin stated that they felt the same way several days ago, but that staff needs to be given clear instructions on what they agreed to. They will have to ask more questions to clarify their understanding before we can get to that point.
Rep. Karen Bass, a Californian who, along with Sen. Cory Booker, has led Democrats’ negotiations on this issue, said Wednesday that “You know that things can quickly come together at the last moment and that tends to be what happens, therefore that’s what my hope for.”
Bass answered CNN’s question about whether she felt the prospects of negotiating a deal were more uncertain. The question is: the Senate will be out for two more weeks. Senator Scott said that June is the best, which I appreciate and I am glad that he did. The question is what will happen in the next 24hrs. “I don’t know.”
What is holding back the talks? It depends on who you ask. Republicans indicated that they are pleased with where the group stands on key issues like Section 242 and qualified immunity. It now comes down to refining their language. However, Democrats including Bass and Durbin have stated that there are still major issues they need to resolve.
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