Senate Dems plot immigration offensive
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Sen. Jacky Rosen talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol on March 10. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Senate Democrats are preparing to use a procedural maneuver to revive a Biden-era immigration policy — or at least get caught trying, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats are using the Congressional Review Act to go on offense on immigration, an issue that contributed to their defeat in 2024.
- They plan to force a vote on a CRA bill as soon as next month to reinstate automatic extensions of work permits for hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
- The goal is to get Republicans on the record on a policy Democrats argue has harmed the American economy — and forced thousands of immigrants to lose their work authorizations.
Driving the news: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), a moderate from a state President Trump won, is gathering support from the 30 senators needed to force a CRA vote.
- Last year, the Trump administration issued a rule ending the automatic renewal of work permits, effectively reversing the Biden-era policy.
- Rosen and her allies believe they have 29 session days left to collect signatures and force a floor vote before the CRA's 60-day window closes.
- The CRA resolution would be subject to a simple majority vote. If it passed, Trump would almost certainly veto it.
Zoom in: Democrats are tying the immigration rule to what they describe as Trump's broader inability to address the affordability crisis.
- "At a time when costs are going up and our economy is being weakened, this ill-conceived rule will make matters worse and hurt thousands of hard-working families," Rosen said.
- They also warn that workers and U.S. businesses will suffer as immigrants are forced out of jobs due to massive application backlogs.
Zoom out: Democrats distanced themselves from former President Biden's immigration policies during and after the 2024 election.
- But faced with Trump's immigration overhaul — as well as the killing of two American citizens at immigration protests in January — they are starting to take a more assertive stance.
- They are withholding votes for funding the Department of Homeland Security and say they will not provide them until Trump makes legislative changes to immigration enforcement.
The bottom line: Senate Republicans used the CRA to pass a record 22 resolutions that Trump signed into law last year.
- Biden signed three CRA resolutions into law early in his term, and he ultimately vetoed 11 others — including one targeting his water policy.
- Rosen was one of four Democrats who voted to pass that measure.
