Mark Souder: “This amendment simply transfers the $3 million from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and increases the…”

“This amendment simply transfers the $3 million from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and increases the Inspector General's office at the Justice Department by $2 million to provide adequate resources for a thorough investigation of the abuses of the Citizenship USA program administered by the INS. The Citizenship USA program was devised in 1995 to increase the speed and efficiency of the naturalization process. The problem is that speed was a priority and efficiency was forgotten. In 1996, the number of naturalizations tripled to 1.1 million, an upsurge well timed for the November election. In the Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, I chaired a number of hearings on the resulting chaos from this accelerated process. It was said at that time that the appropriations committee had increased the funding for this acceleration. As I pointed out, the gentleman from Kentucky, Chairman Rogers, and all of us in Congress certainly did not intend to not have background checks be done.”