Kennedy Defends Immigration Deal

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) will go to the Senate floor this afternoon to defend the immigration deal he reached last week with his GOP colleagues and the White House.

The Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote at 5:30 pm on the motion to proceed to the immigration bill (S. 1348), and there has been widespread opposition among leaders in both parties to the proposal, including complaints by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Senate sources say that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will get cloture today but has promised an extra week of debate on the measure, which could imperil its chances of passage when it comes up for a final vote after the Senate returns from the Memorial Day recess.

Excerpts from Kennedy's upcoming floor speech can be read below.