Dianne Feinstein: “I will vote to support the conference report on H.R. 1268, the fiscal year 2005 Supplemental Appropriations bill…”

“I will vote to support the conference report on H.R. 1268, the fiscal year 2005 Supplemental Appropriations bill, although I have serious reservations about the process that was used to attach the REAL ID Act to legislation urgently needed to ensure our troops are adequately funded. I am voting for this legislation because it provides needed support to our troops in combat, additional border patrol agents to secure our porous frontiers, vital relief to areas affected by the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean, and important disaster relief here at home. My colleagues have noted that this legislation funds important needs for our military, from additional up-armored humvees to increased death benefits for those who have lost their lives in service to our Nation in Iraq and Afghanistan. I agree with my colleagues that it is vital that we get these resources to our men and women in uniform without delay. However, I have serious concerns about the process by which controversial immigration provisions were attached to the bill. And I want to again express my opposition to the inclusion of the REAL ID Act--despite the negotiated changes during conference--because an emergency supplemental is not the place for the Congress to enact substantive immigration provisions.…”