On the recordMay 22, 2008
I go back to the basics, and that is, read the amendment before you. This amendment asks that the Secretaries jointly establish and operate a temporary program to offer employment as translators, interpreters, et cetera. This is not a mandate in the words at all that are before us. Under this amendment, these Iraqis must have assisted our country in Iraq for at least a year and be here in the United States legally. As a practical matter, these are the Iraqis who have been brought to our country under the legislation offered by my good friend Duncan Hunter that was included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2 years ago, which is good language. We are also not talking about a large number of people. We are talking about 760 people who have been brought to the United States. I think we can do something for them. I think a careful reading of the amendment will solve a lot of discussion today. Mr. Israel is right.
Source
govinfo.gov
