John Kerry: “last night there was a vote on a critical amendment to the immigration bill, Senator Baucus' proposal to strip any…”

“last night there was a vote on a critical amendment to the immigration bill, Senator Baucus' proposal to strip any reference to REAL ID in the underlying bill. This, truly, is a case of addition by subtraction. REAL ID--astronomically expensive, personally intrusive, controversial, and unrealistic, passed by the last Congress without real scrutiny--is precisely the kind of impractical trigger that could derail comprehensive immigration reform. Unless we amend this bill, real reform will have to wait for REAL ID. Consider the groups lined up against it: not just the ACLU, but also the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Governors Association. Since REAL ID passed in the last Congress, 16 States have enacted anti-Real ID bills or resolutions. Another 22 States, including my own, have anti-Real ID bills and resolutions pending in their State legislatures. Why are they so opposed to REAL ID? They are opposed because it sets an unreachable standard and offers States almost no financial help in meeting it. Conservative estimates State that it would cost $23 billion to fully implement REAL ID. This legislation only authorizes $1.5 billion for States and the President didn't ask for a single dollar for REAL ID in his budget request. That means that States would have to shoulder a $21 billion burden. That is an enormous unfunded mandate. This crushing financial burden on States is bad enough--but REAL ID poses a security risk as well.…”