Senate Floor Speech
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
April 7, 2006 -- Page: S3359

MRS. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I want to comment on what has happened over the last 2 weeks on a very important bill--maybe the most important bill for the future of our country that we will take up this year, and that is immigration reform.

I was very disappointed that we were not able to have a vehicle on which we can have amendments in the normal course of action that we have on the floor of the Senate. I cannot think of a more complicated, comprehensive issue that we could amend and make a better bill that would have the support of the vast majority of the Senate. Yet we have spent 2 weeks and were only able to have three amendments.

There are many differing views on what to do with the 12 million illegal immigrants that are in our country. But I think there is a consensus that we need better control of our borders, that we need security measures to know who is in our country, and that we need a guest worker permit program that would allow people to come into our country legally to work and earn a living for their families, contribute to the economy of the United States, and perhaps become citizens, if they decide to, or not become citizens if they wish to remain citizens of their home country.

However, the issue of what to do with the 12 million people was not able to be discussed, debated, or refined on the Senate floor. I think that is a mistake, and I think we have missed a very important opportunity. The negotiations got down to allowing 20 amendments--20 amendments--on one of the most complicated bills that we will take up this year. We take up appropriations bills that have 70 amendments. We take up authorization bills that have 40 amendments. The negotiation was down to allowing 20 amendments, and we were not able to get the consent of the minority to take up 20 amendments to try to refine a bill that would allow the Senate to speak with an overwhelming majority, or at least to have all the voices heard so that we could start beginning to craft a bill that would help with an issue in our country of security and economics.

Mr. President, I am very disappointed. I think we have missed an opportunity. I hope very much that, as we go home for a 2-week break, we will think about how we can come together, come back here and not give up on having an immigration reform bill that secures our borders, that creates a guest worker program that will be productive for the participants and for the economy of our country, that will not displace American jobs but will welcome the immigrants who seek to come here, as we have done for over 200 years in our country on a regularized basis.

I thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. I know he is going on to very important work. I hope that we can address this issue when we return, and I hope the minority will work with the majority not to block future amendments that would make this a better bill.