In last month’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama once again urged Congress to enact immigration reform.“Immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades.And for good reason: when people come here to fulfill their dreams - to study, invent, and contribute to our culture -they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone. So let us get immigration reform done this year,” said Obama.Many Republican lawmakers remain opposed to any bill that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.Others say the Obama administration cannot be trusted to enforce the law.House Speaker John Boehner, “the American people, including many of my House Republican members, do not trust that the reform we are talking about will beimplemented as it was intended to be.”On the other hand, Boehner is urging bipartisan backing to boost the administration’s ability to negotiate free trade agreements across the globe.“The president says he wants to make this a year of action.That sounds good, but if he wants to make it a year of action, let us work together to pass Trade Promotion Authority that would expand exports and create more jobs in America,” said Boehner.Under TPA, trade pacts would be subject to an up-or-down vote in Congress without amendment.President Obama has endorsed expanding trade, but has not named TPA as a top economic priority.
