John Cornyn: “I would say to my good friend, the assistant majority leader, I am aware of the promises that are made in the underlying…”

“I would say to my good friend, the assistant majority leader, I am aware of the promises that are made in the underlying bill. My point is there is no mechanism to guarantee the goals the Gang of 8, on which the assistant majority leader has served--the promises that are made in terms of 100-percent situational awareness and operational control--there is absolutely nothing there that will guarantee the American people that promise will be kept, which is a serious problem, which is the reason why, when I saw the bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform, I was encouraged. Because I could support a bill that did make a pathway to legal permanent residency contingent upon a certification that these goals have been met. But I cannot based on sad experience dating back to 1986 and 1996, and other times in the past, where Congress has made repeated promises of future performance--promises that are never kept. I would say, in conclusion, the American people are asked to be extraordinarily generous here in terms of providing probationary status and the possibility of legal permanent residency, and maybe even citizenship in the future. That is an act of extraordinary generosity and compassion they are being asked to demonstrate. But to be given just promises that will not be kept by throwing money at the problem, without any real plan to make sure it is going to be effective, this bill falls way short of its promises. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore.…”