On the recordFebruary 12, 2018
Madam President, I wish to thank my colleague Chairman Grassley for the excellent work on this issue, on which he has helped to lead us all. We have a working group. The Presiding Officer herself belongs to a small working group. We have introduced legislation this week that transforms the President's four-pillar framework into an actual bill, and it is the one bill that can become a law. We have a plan not to pass a bill but to pass a law, because twice in the last 12 years, the Senate has passed a bill that hasn't become a law because the House of Representatives couldn't pass it and, therefore, ultimately, the President couldn't sign it. I urge my colleagues: Let's not simply signal our virtue to our counterparts in the House or to the President by passing a bill. Let's solve this problem by passing a law. This bill is the one bill that can become a law because it is the one bill that translates the President's framework into actual legislation. It provides legal status and ultimately citizenship for people who were brought here through no fault of their own as minors, before the age of accountability. It provides more money and legal authorities to secure our southern border and to help our brave immigration agents.…





