Republicans are tripping all over themselves to tell the public how unhappy they are with the new immigration bill hammered out by a handful of senators and the White House last week. Here are some of the complaints:
It’s too long: “The print is small . . . . When they do it in the proper format, where the lines are numbered and amendments are more easily filed, it will, I am confident, exceed 1,000 pages . . . . ” — Sen. Jeff Sessions, speaking at a news briefing this morning.
It’s too expensive: “If you look closely, the numbers are staggering . . . each low-skilled amnesty household could cost the American taxpayer approximately $20,000 each year.” — Sen. Jim Bunning, quoting numbers compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation at a news briefing this morning.
We feel left out: “The proposal was written in secret by a small group of senators and our current administration.” — Bunning, at the same news conference this morning.
We need more time to debate: “We don’t need to act within a week. The Senate doesn’t need to complete action within a week. Perhaps we need extended debate, both in the Senate and in the House. . . . Maybe this is one of those issues that would require us to be working here five days a week for an extended period of time. That might be good for all of us.” — Rep. Dan Lungren, speaking at a news conference today. (After the bill made it through a cloture vote today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated that he wouldn’t push for a floor vote until after the Memorial Day weekend.)
The president is acting under duress: “The president is so desperate for a legacy and a domestic policy win that he is willing to sell out the American people and our national security.” — Rep. Tom Tancredo, in a press release from his office.
Amnesty equals anarchy: “When you are rewarding illegality — and that’s what we’re doing — where do you stop rewarding illegality? Are you going to let people go through red lights at the intersections and have chaos?” — Sen. Chuck Grassley on MSNBC last week.
