Get Ready to Grill Your Lawmaker

Aides in House and Senate offices report that groups opposed to the immigration bill now before the Senate are warning that they plan to flood town hall meetings during the Memorial Day recess. One top leadership aide said that groups were contacting members' offices to get the times and places of town hall meetings or other gatherings where the lawmakers have planned to take public questions. "Some of these members are going to get creamed on this issue when they go home," warned a Senate aide whose boss has not announced a public meeting next week. "Man, are we glad we didn't set up a town hall," said the aide. Senate leadership officials are concerned that the pressure from voters and interest groups expected to be unleashed on lawmakers may further delay passage of the plan and most likely change some votes. "We should have had the vote last week. There's no telling how these meet-and-greets will change a member's view," said a Senate GOP official.