Immigration reform efforts stall in House

By Mary Westbrook, SAF

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has announced he won’t allow a vote on an immigration bill, dashing the hopes of reform advocates, including floral industry members who rely on a stable, legal workforce. In response, President Obama announced June 30 that he plans to explore options available through executive order and “take those steps that I can within my existing legal authorities to make the immigration system work better.”

Read the president’s statement.

Read Boehner’s reaction to the president’s remarks.

The standstill in Congress is “frustrating and unfair” to workers and employers, said SAF’s Lin Schmale, senior director of government relations. “SAF members have worked for immigration reform for well over 10 years. It is important to the floral industry, to our economy, and to the well-being of our communities. It is more important now than it ever has been for us to continue the fight.”

SAF isn’t alone in expressing its disappointment. Following the president’s address, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a statement reading in part: “The U.S. Chamber is deeply disappointed by our elected leaders' inability to achieve meaningful immigration reform even as current developments demonstrate the pressing need to do so. Without reform, our broken immigration system continues to harm our economy, cost jobs, and undermine America’s global competitiveness.”