On the recordJune 25, 2013
I rise today to express my deep disappointment with the current immigration reform legislation and the extremely limited opportunity for Senators to amend this bill. Although I was not a Member of the Senate in 2009, I watched the debate on ObamaCare closely. I was amazed the world's greatest deliberative body could vote on such a massive change to Federal policy without having time to read or adequately amend the bill. Failure to fully comprehend the consequences--intended or otherwise-- left many Americans skeptical, and rightfully so. We were told the need to act justified passage of this massive bill, and we were admonished that we needed to pass the bill to find out what is in it. The American people were not pitched sound policy, the American people were pitched sound bites. Public polling suggests the American people still haven't bought it, and with good reason. A few years later, Americans are starting to learn the devastating, real-life impact of the flawed health care policy, including the loss of current benefits and the sticker shock of rising premiums. The litany of broken promises seems endless. Yet here we are again, another dire problem in desperate need of a solution, and this time it is immigration. I agree, and Nebraskans agree, we must address the problem of illegal immigration. The status quo is unacceptable. Our border remains dangerously insecure, and 11 million illegal immigrants currently enjoy de facto amnesty.…
