The Dealmaker

Once the Democrats' top knife fighter, Chuck Schumer became a force on Capitol Hill by learning the art of compromise

Andrew Cutraro for TIME

Senator Charles Schumer in his Washington DC office.

The fate of immigration reform was up for grabs in early June when Chuck Schumer jumped on the phone with an unlikely ally.

The bipartisan proposal to rewrite U.S. immigration law had cleared a key Senate committee and then just as quickly hit a snag. Marco Rubio was telling conservatives that the measure couldn't pass without tougher border security. Some Democrats scoffed, but Schumer wanted to accommodate the Florida Republican. Let me know what changes you want to make, he told Rubio over the telephone. I'm willing to listen if it will help bring Republicans along.

For most of his three...

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