In a last-ditch effort to resuscitate immigration reform, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he would accept piecemeal legislation rather than one sweeping bill.
Despite all signs pointing to the contrary, Obama said during an interview at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council that he’s “optimistic” an immigration bill will pass Congress by year’s end.
“If they want to chop that thing up into five pieces, as long as all five pieces get done, I don’t care what it looks like,” Obama said. “What we don’t want to do is simply carve out one piece of it…but leave behind some of the tougher stuff that still needs to get done.”
It didn’t take long for a top Republican to offer a less rosy outlook. Following Obama’s interview, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) told the CEO Council that there’s “literally not enough time to do it” in 2013.
“If we are trying to cram and rush just because it’s the calendar year, we don’t think that’s responsible,” Ryan said.
