White House sees progress on immigration bill

The backers of a bipartisan immigration bill in the Senate are making headway against opponents of the measure, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Tuesday.

{mosads}“I’m not going to get into nose counting right now,” Snow told reporters aboard Air Force One. “It’s important, I think, that people do get a sense of what we’re really trying to accomplish here, and to take a look at the details. And we have been inviting folks to take a look. And I think the more they hear, the more they’re going to be inclined to support it.”

The White House spokesman said that opponents of the effort are criticizing the bill without having seen it, while the legislation is much more convincing once it has been explained.

The Senate debated the measure last week and will take it up again following the Memorial Day recess.

The bill’s tenuous coalition — which includes liberal Democrats like Sen. Edward Kennedy (Mass.) and conservative Republicans like Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) — fought back several efforts last week to add amendments that could have derailed the compromise.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had planned to wrap up work on the measure last week, but he pushed back the date of a final vote to accommodate the concerns of some senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).