John Cornyn: “while the Senator from New York is still here, I would like to respond briefly and in a nonconfrontational way. But I…”

“while the Senator from New York is still here, I would like to respond briefly and in a nonconfrontational way. But I would hope that on something as important as this, we are all operating from the same facts and not based on erroneous information or erroneous assumptions. First of all, my understanding is the Congressional Budget Office has not scored the underlying bill. As I said earlier, on page 872 of this bill, a comprehensive immigration reform trust fund is created, and $8.3 billion is transferred into that trust fund. My amendment uses the same money the underlying bill does to fund the requirements of my amendment. This notion that somehow having a biometric entry-exit system costs $25 billion is completely detached from any factual information I am aware of. My staff informs me, based on our best estimate, that a biometric entry-exit system at airports and at seaports would cost roughly $80 million a year. We are more than happy to share that information with our colleagues and have them take a look at it. Further, I know there has been an assumption that somehow there has been a figure of 10,000 new Border Patrol agents mandated in my amendment. That is an incorrect reading of it. The underlying bill calls for 3,500. We plus that up, we do, by not only Border Patrol but also customs and border agents to help facilitate the flow of legal commerce across Arizona, Texas borders, and elsewhere, which creates about 6 million jobs in America.…”