Reid to Graham: We Don’t Need You


Senate Democrats on Thursday evening unveiled an “framework” for immigration reform, calling on Republicans to work with them while at the same time indicating that they are willing to go it alone if they have to. The move comes after a week of bitter back and forth between Majority Leader Harry Reid and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina over whether immigration or climate should be next in line. Graham has so far been the lone Republican working with Democrats on both issues.

Reid yesterday indicated that energy would come next. But Graham has accused Democrats of “playing politics,” and warns that moving on immigration at all this year would prompt him to abandon cooperation on both issues.

Reid addressed the Graham situation directly at the press conference, after fielding a question about whether their immigration work might imperil the climate bill. Graham, Reid said, “cannot logically use immigration as an excuse to not help with energy.” He also said his calls for bipartisan work on immigration aren’t necessarily directed at Graham. “There are 40 other Republicans,” Reid said.

Reid also tried to downplay the tension over which issue should be next in line. “There’s no one in this Congress in the House or Senate who believes in doing something about our environment more than I do,” said Reid. “We need to do comprehensive energy legislation as soon as we can.”

But the hurried roll out of their immigration framework seemed to be a clear indicator of where Reid is throwing his support. The planned introduction of draft legislation on climate change and energy has been delayed indefinitely as its co-authors scramble to deal with the Graham situation.

Exiting a meeting in the Republican Whip’s office, Graham declined comment to reporters, saying only that a statement from he and Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.) would be forthcoming. Here’s their statement dismissing the framework as a “conceptual paper” and calling for a bipartisan effort. He did not say anything about where this leaves him on climate and energy.

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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