Paul Ryan Skeptical Of Congress’ Ability To Pass Immigration Bill This Year

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan takes part in a San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce event, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014, in San Antonio. Ryan said House Republicans will tackle immigration reform in p... House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan takes part in a San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce event, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014, in San Antonio. Ryan said House Republicans will tackle immigration reform in pieces rather than the Senate's comprehensive approach. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) MORE LESS
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Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Sunday cast some doubt on Congress’ ability to pass immigration reform in 2014, even though Republican House leaders are making reform a priority this legislative session.

“That is clearly in doubt. It depends on whether they’re willing to actually secure the border, actually have interior enforcement and not — and agree to not having an amnesty,” Ryan said on ABC’s “This Week” about working with Senate Democrats. “If we can do that, where it’s security first, no amnesty, then we might be able to get somewhere.”

Ryan said that his fellow Republicans in the House are skeptical of working with the Senate on a compromise, especially without a hard deadline.

“And so this is not one of those issues where it has some kind of a deadline behind it, like, say, a government shutdown, which forces us into a compromise we might not like to take,” he said about immigration reform.

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