In real terms, a 2007-style CIR would cut down on family-based petition and expand employment-based ones.

Sometimes I get the feel that these senators didn't exactly know the state of legal immigration at the time of their talk. The wait time for family-based petitions have always been measured in years because the quota hasn't been updated in a decade or two. So, I don't understand the Republicans' fear of this 'chain migration'. Even back in 2007 the fastest category in family-based visa had a 5-year wait. The slowest one (4th preference for the Philippines) had to wait 23 years!
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bul...etin_3100.html