With amendment killed, Rand Paul won’t support immigration bill
(CNN) – Sen. Rand Paul says he’ll vote “no” on the Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform bill, since it doesn’t include his amendment that would grant Congress power to determine whether the U.S. southern border is secure,
The Kentucky Republican had previously been open to supporting the measure, which includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that’s contingent on bolstering border security. Paul introduced an amendment that would have required Congress to vote on whether the border was properly secure, but it failed to gain approval this week.
Without that inclusion, Paul said definitively on CNN’s “State of the Union” he would be a “no” vote.
“Without some congressional authority and without border security first, I can't support the final bill,” Paul told chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.
Supporters of the comprehensive immigration reform bill need 60 votes to gain passage in the Senate, but hope a larger majority will help propel the measure in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, where its prospects appear dim. With that goal in mind, an amendment was introduced this week that vastly ramps up resources along the southern border, including 700 miles of new fence.
But Paul said Sunday that provision wasn’t sufficient, saying throwing dollars at border security programs wasn’t any guarantee the problem would be fixed.
“We've thrown a lot of money at a lot of problems in our country,” Paul said. “To me, what really tells me that they're serious would be letting Congress vote on whether the border's secure. If the people in the country want to be assured that we will not get another 10 million people to come here illegally over the next decade, they have to believe they get a vote through their Congress.”
Predicting the measure would pass the Senate but fail in the House, Paul said he didn’t trust the White House to accurately assess whether or not full security had been achieved on the border.
“I don't trust this administration or a Republican administration to really make a valid judgment,” he said. “I want Congress and the people to have the right to decide whether the border's secure.”
Listen up left-wingers... the vast majority of conservatives are not against immigration. We are against ILLEGAL immigration. This bill is mostly about telling 11 million criminals they can ignore our laws and become citizens. America says no.
Those calling it 'amnesty' are just doing so out of ignorance, having earned their citizenship through simple birth. There is no "line" to get into this country. It's a friggin lottery, with absolutely no consideration given to those that have skills, knowledge, family, or even can speak English. We need SOMETHING to fix this mess, cause frankly our immigration system is so fouled up, the only way they'll ever come here is illegally, and continue to not pay taxes. A fence, even guards, won't stop the problem. Might not even slow it down. I know they sure like to commercialize prisons, but turning the entire southern boarder into a prison wall still won't stop smugglers... hell they'll just get even richer and more powerful as they raise their prices, making a bad situation even worse.
The only way to have a trully secure border is to have agents armed with machine guns with electric wire and high walls... Kind of like the Berlin wall between East & West Germany.... Why do conservatives love such a thing?
Well, once again the Republicans kill their own idea. Immigration Reform goes back to Pres. Reagan. (Pres. George W. Bush tried) And every time this idea comes up. It's their own Party that kills the plan. Can't say the idiots are not constant.
What, allow Congress to have the last word on border security? This Congress? Don't make me laugh!
Read the entire bill folks! Legalizing tens-of-millions who hopped a fence (!) and never would have qualified under normal circumstances. Yeah, come here and have lots of babies – paid for by that favorite Uncle of yours – Sam (!) It's your right, isn't it?
What all of you have missed is obvious. What difference does it make if the congress VOTES that the border is secure or not secure? Simply having a vote on it does not make it secure! Most are so scared about non-white people that all they can see is shut the border! How2 can you do that without "throwing lots of money at it"? Fencing, border patrols, drones, etc COST MONEY! So if you simply vote on the security, then the border becomes secure because our nitwit congress says so? Yeah, I can get behind that!
He doesn't trust an administration of either party to make a valid judgement on whether or not the border is secure – ok. But he trusts CONGRESS to do a better job at making that judgement???? Methinks the doctor has been partaking of some of the prescription-only drugs in his office.
The Gang of Eight need to get the same sentences as the Gang of Four.
What a pathetic wretch he is, to be sure.
Why allow tens-of-millions a free-pass to US citizenship when they would have never (!) qualified in the first place? (Had they gone through normal channels!!)
Congress has and does nothing. Why would we want this body to be in charge of anything or responsible for approving anything. Especially with people like the Rand Paul's within the body.
Long live the Tea Party! The party of sanity, moral values, the constitution and patriotism!
Republican members of Congress MO: 1. Make noise. 2. Introduce a bill. 3. Modified it out of any possibility OR 4. Look for some irrelevant detail to vote against it. 5. Call the press 6. Blame Democrats and indepenents 7. Vote against it 8. Blame the media 8. Find a scapegoat 9. Get paid for doing nothing. 10. Go on vacation.
Who cares? Paul is a right-wing fringe candidate whose time will be short in government.
Steven you keep drinking the kool-ade, there aren't enough jobs to go around. Maybe in another 20 years we could let a few in.
I look at people as people: not white people, black people, yellow people, Spanish people' etc. etc. There is good people and bad in all groups: To act like 11,000,000 are all bad is pretty crazy to me: Also remember 1/2 of this country at one time was Mexico and was taken away in two illegal :wars: I know history tells us Lincoln was against the last one: Hey, my Spanish brothers, welcome:
We do not need any more people in this country. Nothing against immigrants. We are choking on people. Three hundred millions are not enough? What number of people would be enough? The world is full. We don't need any more people. We need dramatically fewer people.
One of the more idiotic arguments I've heard for allowing the flow of illegal immigrants to continue (and allowing the ones already here to be granted amnesty) is that 'the US is at zero population growth...hence, we need these immigrants to continue breaking the law!'
Dumbest crap ever. I've got a pretty good idea! Why not make it easier for good, hardworking middle class Americans to have more children by relieving the tax burden on them? Wait makes to much sense.
Strange that an "every man for himself" Libertarian would care so much about government enforcement of rules and boundaries. For a lot of American history, anyone could cross that river whenever they wanted to.
Here you go again. Rand Paul is behaving like a spoiled child. He wants to pick up his marbles and go home because he isn't winning. It seems to me that he does not believe in the idea of compromise. By the way, (NO) is a powerful word that requires thoughtful consideration before it is uttered.
Glad to see more figures in Congress speaking out against this pro-anarchy, anti-law monstrosity.
.......................welcome to American politics. I will hold up everything because something is not perfect therefore nothing gets done for anyone and we sit and rot.
the thing on top of his head is eating up whatever is left of his cranial mass.......
just look at the company he keeps..........UGH