WE'LL FIX IT: GOP-controlled Congress sets sights on jobs, immigration
Published December 31, 2014
FILE: Dec. 11, 2014: House Speaker John Boehner speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C.(AP)
With control of the House and now the Senate, Republicans will return to Congress next week looking for early victories on such key issues as immigration and domestic energy to set the tone for the next two years and position their party to win the White House in 2016.
Incoming Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already made clear his first order of business is to pass a bill to build the Keystone XL pipeline.
In the final days of the last congressional session, such legislation was narrowly defeated in the then-Democrat-controlled Senate, but easily passed in the GOP-led House, creating the potential for a bill to promptly pass both chambers in the face of Senate Democrats who sat on the bill for years.
The House could vote as early as next week on legislation to expedite pipeline construction, Fox News has learned.
Passing immigration reform will undoubtedly be more difficult for Republicans, but would be a major step toward winning the Hispanic vote on the way to taking the White House.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham recently argued that Republicans winning the 2016 presidential race essentially hinges on the party using its newly-acquired congressional majority to deliver on the issue.
The Senate in 2013 passed comprehensive reform with bipartisan support. And House Speaker John Boehner has said he, too, wants to pass immigration reform but has not had the votes from his conservative caucus.
However, midterm wins have given Boehner a historic majority and an additional 13 seats, complete with several handpicked winners, which should provide some cushion from far-right defectors.
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WE'LL FIX IT: GOP-controlled Congress sets sights on jobs, immigration