BOSTON (AP) — Pushing his party to do some soul searching, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is offering a softer Republican message on immigration, education and government programs for vulnerable Americans.
Speaking at Harvard University Monday night, the Virginia Republican said his party needs to work harder to connect with "an increasingly diverse country."
He says he will "move heaven and earth" to fix the education system for the nation's most vulnerable over the next two years. He wants to grant citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. And he's calling for Congress to prioritize investments in medical research.
Cantor's speech was part of an ongoing effort to improve the GOP's image after painful election losses last November.
He acknowledged that automatic federal spending cuts that recently took effect jeopardize some of his priorities.
