Republican Members of Congress Hold a News Conference On Immigration

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Republican Members of Congress Hold a News Conference On Immigration

REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE ON IMMIGRATION

MAY 21, 2007

SPEAKERS: SEN. JIM BUNNING, R-KY.

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS, R-ALA.

REP. BRIAN P. BILBRAY, R-CALIF.

ROBERT RECTOR, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, DOMESTIC POLICY STUDIES, HERITAGE FOUNDATION

[*] BUNNING: Good morning, and thank you all for coming out.

I also want to thank Senator Sessions and Representative Bilbray for joining me to introduce the Heritage Foundation's senior scholar, Robert Rector, who is releasing his paper on the cost of low-skilled immigrants to the American taxpayer.

Mr. Rector is an expert on poverty and welfare, and helped right the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. I want to thank him for his work.

Last week's so-called immigration agreement is not a compromise in the traditional sense of the word. The proposal was written in secret by a few senators and the administration. In fact, the actual amendment has not even been filed.

This is the amendment to the placeholder bill -- 326-page amendment to the bill that we filed and passed last year on the floor of the Senate.

One thing for sure: This bill is compromising to the country's economy, national security and very foundation of a democracy rooted in the rule of law. Today, we're going to have a vote to move the process forward.

Some think things are clear. This bill will grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. It also creates a massive new guest worker program for low-skilled workers that does not truly limit costs to the system.

What remains...

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