On the recordMay 22, 2013
last night the Senate Judiciary Committee, after some 24 hearings and several weeks of markup, advanced a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to fix our broken immigration system. No one can dispute that it is broken. No one can dispute that it needs to be fixed. I commend the good work of the committee, and I am grateful to everyone who worked those long hours. I will bring this bill, which is a strong bipartisan bill, to the floor in June, sometime soon after we return from the Memorial Day work period. Although neither Republicans nor Democrats will support each and every aspect of this legislation, it is gratifying to see the momentum behind these reforms that will make our country safer and help 11 million undocumented immigrants get right with the law. I applaud significantly the efforts of the Gang of 8--four Democrats and four Republicans--who showed bravery as they set aside partisanship to address the critical issues facing our Nation. I am confident that for everyone in that Gang of 8, Democrats and Republicans, there are parts of this bill they do not like. But that is how we move legislation forward for the greater good--compromise. I admire their legislative skills and appreciate very much their ability to set aside these partisan differences and move this extremely important bill to the floor. There was other courage on display on the Senate floor yesterday when two Republican Senators bucked the majority of their party for the good of the country.…





