Reid confident on immigration reform

WASHINGTON - Sen. Harry Reid expressed confidence Sunday that Congress will pass an immigration policy overhaul that gives undocumented residents a chance for U.S. citizenship, saying criticism so far is coming from "people looking for excuses not to vote for it."

An immigration bill "is certainly going to pass the Senate and it would be a bad day for the country and a bad day for the Republican Party if they continue standing in the way of this, so the answer is yes," said Reid, the Senate majority leader .

"Things are looking really good," the Nevada Democrat said in a televised interview. An immigration policy overhaul "is the right thing to do. And number two, the Republicans can no longer stop this."

Reid delivered the optimistic message during an appearance on "This Week With George Stephanopoulos," which was taped Friday in Reid's office.

On another major issue facing Congress, Reid said he supports requiring background checks on all gun purchases, one of the proposals that has grown out of the renewed concern about gun violence in the country.

"Everyone acknowledges we should do something on background checks," Reid told Stephanopoulos.

Asked if he would support universal background checks, Reid replied, "Yeah, we need to increase that. I am still supportive of the Second Amendment, but you can do things like that."

As he has when questioned on other occasions, Reid stopped short of disclosing a position on proposals for a national ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips. He voted in 1994 against an assault weapons ban, telling Stephanopoulos "it didn't make sense."

Now, in the wake of 26 deaths from the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December, and the dozen killed in the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., last July, "I'm willing to take a look at it," he said.

Reid, who controls the Senate schedule and what gets debated on the Senate floor, is being watched closely on guns. David Keene, the president of the National Rifle Association, told reporters last week that "where Harry Reid ends up in this debate is anyone's guess."

Reid told Stephanopoulos he is no stranger to guns, dating back to his childhood in Searchlight. While he no longer hunts, he said he still owns "lots of guns" although these days he keeps them more "for sentimental reasons."

Reid noted he carried a gun while working through law school as a U.S. Capitol police officer.

Also, he said, "My dad killed himself, shot himself with a gun, committed suicide, so I know a lot about guns."

On immigration, Reid said he supported allowing same-sex couples to qualify under any new citizenship law, an idea endorsed by President Barack Obama but that is coming under fire from conservatives.

"If they're looking for an excuse not to support this legislation, this is another one, but the American people are past excuses," Reid said. "They want this legislation passed."

Reid also supported tying immigration policy changes to evidence of improvements in border security, saying the border "is much more secure now" after the government "spent billions and billions of dollars" on it.

On other topics:

■ Reid repeated that new revenue must be part of any deal to avoid automatic spending cuts that will go into effect next month, such as reducing tax breaks for oil companies.

"What we need to do is do some of the things that Mitt Romney talked about," Reid said. "He said there's some low-hanging fruit; there are a lot of tax loopholes that should be closed. I agree with him. We haven't done that."

Republicans in Congress have insisted the so-called "sequester" should be averted by cutting spending, and there should be no new taxes in the deal. But Reid said "the American people are on our side. The American people don't believe in these austere things."

■ Reid predicted the Senate will approve Chuck Hagel to become secretary of defense despite a rocky confirmation hearing on Thursday where Republicans confronted the former Nebraska senator with tough questions about his positions on the Middle East.

"If you interviewed me for eight hours like they interviewed him in the Senate this week, you and I would both flub up a little bit," Reid told Stephanopoulos. "Give the guy a break. I thought he did pretty good."

■ Reid also said he retained confidence in Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., whose relationship with a major donor in Florida is being examined by the FBI and the Senate Ethics Committee.

Among the allegations is that Menendez frequented prostitutes while visiting the donor, a longtime friend, in the Dominican Republican.

"I have confidence he did nothing wrong, but that's what investigations are all about," Reid said of Menendez, who became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when Sen. John Kerry was confirmed to become secretary of state.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.