Mark Takano: “I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding the time. Reforming our immigration system is one of the top issues in…”

“I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding the time. Reforming our immigration system is one of the top issues in our Nation. I was happy to see the Senate act this past June when it passed a comprehensive immigration bill with an overwhelming bipartisan vote. The Senate bill solves many of the problems with our current immigration system. It creates a pathway to citizenship, secures our borders, addresses the current backlog, and helps the DREAMers, who were brought here through no fault of their own. Unfortunately, the push for immigration reform hit a brick wall when the legislation moved over to the House and Speaker Boehner flatly refused to bring it up for a vote. Sadly, this is not the first time Speaker Boehner and his irresponsible faction of the House Republican caucus have stood in the way of what is best for the American people, even though there is a clear governing majority that is ready to act. Despite Speaker Boehner's desperate attempt to follow the so-called rule which requires him only to allow votes supported by a majority of House Republicans, the governing majority has been able to pass several pieces of substantive legislation this year. Just who is this governing majority? It is made up of nearly the entire Democratic Caucus and a handful of moderate, sensible Republicans. In January of this year, a governing majority of 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans came together to avoid the fiscal cliff, saving our economy from ruin.…”