The Republican-led House will "pay the price" in the midterm elections if lawmakers do not pass an immigration bill, veteran political commentator Michael Reagan told Newsmax TV on Monday.
"If I were in charge of the House of Representatives, if I was speaker of the House, I would pass the immigration bill," Reagan, the son of President Ronald Reagan, told Monday's "America Talks Live."
"I would send it on to the Senate, where it will fail because the Democrats won't come on board with the Republicans and give them the nine or 10 votes that they need, and then the onus of why immigration reform isn't passing would be on the backs of the Democrats, not the Republicans.
"But the Republicans by not passing it in the House, the onus stays on them, and they will pay the price for that."
Reagan added, for too long, Republicans have not acted as leaders when they are in control Congress.
"The Republicans just don't get it, they just can't figure it out," Reagan told hosts Miranda Khan, John Cardillo, and Gina Loudon. "They allow the Democrats to rule the day, every single day.
"They don't know what to do when they're in charge. They play better when they're behind. And if they don't get in charge and do this immigration bill and send it to the Senate, they in November may end up once again being behind."
The House is expected to vote on a compromise immigration legislation later this week.
Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., said Sunday he is strongly supporting a second immigration bill coming before the House, as it is tougher than the first bill Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican had sponsored last week.
"I am totally opposed to sanctuary cities," King told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures," while he explained why he voted against the first measure.
"Under [the first] bill, they would cut funding to police in those cities. That was making a bad situation worse. It would have put my constituents at risk."
The second bill, also sponsored by Goodlatte, addresses family reunification, as well as other vital immigration matters.
King said he does not agree with President Donald Trump, who tweeted Friday that lawmakers should wait unit after the midterm elections in November to vote, as there would be more Republicans in both chambers by then.
Reagan is the author of "Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of Ronald Reagan," written with Jim Denney and published by Humanix Books.
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