Marsha Blackburn: “I would like to articulate the reason for the objection to the legislation that is brought forward by my friend the…”

“I would like to articulate the reason for the objection to the legislation that is brought forward by my friend the Senator from Illinois. Once again, I found it necessary for the good of the order to object to a unanimous consent request brought by our friends in the minority. Once again, they are attempting to bypass the Senate's rules on behalf of a piece of legislation this body has not had time to debate, to deliberate, or to consider in committee. The American Dream and Promise Act passed the House of Representatives by a near party-line vote; unsurprising, considering the bill addresses the contentious issue of immigration law. This bill, supported by the Senator from Illinois, would offer temporary legal status to 2\1/2\ million undocumented immigrants. Those affected immigrants have tried to remain in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or the DACA Program-- a backstop made possible by nothing more than an Executive memo signed by former President Barack Obama. I think this is important for us to realize that it was an Executive memo that put this program in place. It is not a Federal law. President Trump ended the DACA Program in 2017, arguing the Obama administration's attempt to subvert immigration law on such a massive scale was unlawful and possibly unconstitutional. Soon after, President Trump offered a path to legalization for DACA recipients, but our friends in the minority refused to take him up on that offer.…”