OBAMA MEETS WITH LA RAZA HISPANIC CAUCUS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

FAIR Legislative Update September 20, 2010


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Senate Braces for DREAM Act Vote
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) dropped a bombshell announcement last Tuesday when he told reporters in the Capitol he would offer the DREAM Act as an amendment to the FY 2011 Defense Authorization Bill (S.3454) when the bill comes to the Senate floor this week. (Reid press conference, Sept. 14, 2010) Republicans immediately decried the effort to attach such a controversial bill to the Defense bill. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said adding elements unrelated to defense spending to the defense authorization bill would make it “needlessly controversial.” (CQ Today, Sept. 14, 2010) Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said it would be a mistake to attach the immigration measure to the defense bill. (Id.)

Senator John McCain, Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, went one step further, promising to block the bill from coming to the floor (Roll Call, Sept. 15, 2010) “It’s a pure political act for Harry Reid, who is worried about his own re-election and that of the Democrats in the Senate,” McCain said. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) echoed McCain’s comments, saying in a statement that the amendments were “transparently political” and a curious departure from the Democrats’ pledge to focus on jobs and the economy during this work stretch. (Id.) Meanwhile, Reid denied that the move was political, saying “[i]t has nothing to do with Democrats or Republicans. It has everything to do with fairness.” (CQ Today, Sept. 14, 2010)

Other Senators made speeches on the Senate floor taking issue with the DREAM Act itself. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) denounced how the bill permits states to give in-state tuition to illegal aliens. Calling the bill an amnesty disguised as an educational initiative, he said it was “an insult to legal taxpaying citizens.” (C-Span video, Sept. 15, 2010) Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) objected to Senator Reid’s decision to take up the DREAM Act at a time when neither Congress nor the President is enforcing our immigration laws. “We have got to end this lawlessness,” he said. “The first thing you do when you want to end illegality on immigration policy is stop subsidizing it. For heaven’s sake, stop subsidizing it.” (C-span video, Sept. 16, 2010)

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Reid filed a motion to proceed on the Defense Authorization Bill, and scheduled a vote for Tuesday (tomorrow) afternoon. (Congress Daily, Sept. 16, 2010). At this point, it is still uncertain whether Reid can get the 60 votes he needs to move the bill forward. (Id.) However, if Senator Reid is able to get the 60 votes to pass the motion to proceed, general debate will take place on the bill and it is likely Reid will fulfill his promise to offer the DREAM Act as an amendment.

The possibility of a vote on the DREAM Act sent activists on both sides of the immigration debate into overdrive. Amnesty advocates held “pray-ins” in several Senate offices on Thursday while members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with President Obama in the White House to plot strategy. (Roll Call, Sept. 15, 2010) Friday, senior officials from the White House held an “off the record” phone call with activists saying they would do everything they could to make sure the Defense Authorization Bill moves forward. Meanwhile true immigration reform groups such as FAIR and Numbers mobilized their members and activists through a series of alerts and media appearances.

The last time the DREAM Act came up for a vote was in 2007. At that time, the bill – S.2205, which was subject to a cloture vote – failed 52-44, with four Senators not voting. (Roll Call Vote 394, Oct. 24, 2007) Since 2007, however, the debate over immigration reform has only intensified and the make-up of the Senate has changed significantly. It is uncertain at this point, how many Senators will vote for the motion to proceed, and if that passes, how many will vote for the DREAM Act. Stay tuned to FAIR for updates during the week…