As the Senate struggles with the immigration bill, some House members lay in wait--wringing hands and dabbing drool--for the opportunity to "blue slip" the bill.
The U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 7, requires bills that raise revenue to originate in the House. The current immigration bill, which originated in the Senate, calls for immigrants to pay the government. Some argue that this amounts to raising revenue, giving house members cause to challenge the bill through a process involving blue paper (hence, "blue slipping").
A congressional aide told The Hill:
"If we get an opportunity to do it, believe me, we’ll do it [blue slip the bill]....A number of people in the House are dying to be fingered as the person who killed [the Senate bill]."
Supported by President Bush, the immigration bill has set off a slug-fest among conservatives, even in the talk-show community.
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