Jon Kyl: “let me try to summarize the status of this debate over the last couple of hours as pertains to both of these…”

“let me try to summarize the status of this debate over the last couple of hours as pertains to both of these propositions. The first to be voted on is the Chambliss-Kyl proposal, and then the second will be the Craig-Kennedy proposal. Both need 60 votes to proceed. The first point I make to my colleagues is that we voted in this body on a sense-of-the-Senate resolution saying we should have this immigration debate later when we can do it right and can take all the time we need, where everybody can participate in it and know how to approach the problem not just from the standpoint of agriculture, in fact, but for a total attempt to solve our immigration reform issues in this country. We decided that it would not be a good idea to try to have that debate on the supplemental appropriations bill because it would hold up the bill. Guess what has happened. We are in the second week of debate on this bill to fund our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, and there is still no end in sight. If either one of these proposals gets 60 votes, we are off to the races with lots more amendments, debate time, and I do not know when we will get to finish the supplemental appropriations bill, which the distinguished chairman of the committee has been urging us to get about the business doing. In that sense, it would be a shame if either one of these two propositions got the 60 votes. That is my first point.…”