Orrin Hatch: “I think it is time to vote on the antiterrorism bill. I have to say that I do not think anybody denies the minority a…”

“I think it is time to vote on the antiterrorism bill. I have to say that I do not think anybody denies the minority a right to bring up irrelevant amendments. But it is happening on everything. It has happened now for 2--actually better than 2--solid years. When you get something as important as the immigration bill--and I have to say, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, we worked our guts out to get that bill here because it is such an important bill. It is a bill that every border State in this country and every State in this country is concerned about. Senator Simpson has just plain worked for years to get this up. I do not agree with Senator Simpson on every aspect of that bill, but I sure admire him. I admire the effort he has put in. I just think it is a tragedy that we cannot move and get the thing done. It is something that every Democrat and every Republican wants to do. Also, as a former member of and former chairman of the Labor Committee, we have had these minimum wage fights year after year, time after time, and, frankly, to bring it up on immigration, it is a matter of great concern to me that they would do that. These are a couple of bills--the immigration bill and the antiterrorism bill--that literally ought to be bipartisan every step of the way. We can have our differences, but we ought to be working to resolve these bills. Sometimes I think this body does not seem to care about what is important for the people out there.…”