Cord Byrd: “I thank the Senator who has expressed, rightly, his concern. The Senator has cited excellent examples of why this bill…”

“I thank the Senator who has expressed, rightly, his concern. The Senator has cited excellent examples of why this bill is being rushed and why it should not be rushed. I am for intelligence reform. There are many things in this package, I am sure, that are worthwhile. But we cannot fully protect ourselves against terrorists unless we address the gaps in our borders and stem the rise of illegal immigration. There is a great deal of friction in the House of Representatives with respect to this conference report because of the failure to address many of the problems Congressman Sensenbrenner spoke about. I hope we will still have an opportunity to do that. But this is just one area in the conference report that ought to have had more time, but it did not get the time, as the subject matter in its entirety should have had more time. Next year, the President will ask the Congress to pass a sweeping amnesty. It's clear that illegal aliens will continue to pour into this country until the Congress takes action to protect its borders. The 9/11 Commission's endorsement of this legislation will mean nothing if these so-called reforms lead to future intelligence failures. What the American people will remember, however, is that the Congress--the Senate and the House--abdicated its role to fully protect their security interests.”