Rob Portman: “I wish I could rise today to talk about the underlying legislation we are supposed to be talking about, which is a bill…”

“I wish I could rise today to talk about the underlying legislation we are supposed to be talking about, which is a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, and also address the President's Executive order on immigration, which went around the Congress but also went around the American people. A judge in Texas agrees with those of us on this side of the aisle who look at this as an illegal act. Instead, the President ought to work with us. The President should work with the House and the Senate and the elected representatives of the American people to actually pass a law to help fix what is broken in our immigration system. We are not able to get on that legislation, and it is not because we have differences about the bill that we could talk about. We could have votes on amendments and debate this issue, but there are those on the other side of the aisle who have decided they don't even want us to have the opportunity to hash out those differences so we can vote. I think the constituents I represent in Ohio expect us to have that debate, and they want us to have that debate. I hope those on the other side of the aisle will let us have that debate, and we could have a good, honest discussion about this and address both of these problems-- the need to fund the Department and also the need to address this Executive order. I think it is another example where Washington has let down the people I represent.…”