[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 149 (Thursday, September 18, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9008-S9009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--S. 3414

  Mr. MENENDEZ. In pursuit of meeting these goals, redoing E-verify, 
giving it a 5-year life, doing it the right way, doing those other 
things, as well as trying to help this small universe of American 
citizens, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be 
discharged from further consideration of S. 3414, the Visa Efficiency 
and E-Verify Extension Act of 2008, the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration and to the consideration of H.R. 5569, the E-V-5 
extension, which was received from the House, en bloc; further, that 
the bills be read a third time and passed, en bloc; and the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc, with no intervening action 
or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SESSIONS. Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, I note 
that we are talking about some sort of capture of unused visas in the 
past, which we calculate at about 550,000. Maybe it is 300,000. This is 
a major alteration of current law that has a certain number of family 
members, a large number, actually, who can come in every year. This 
would be a major expansion of that.
  Those are the kinds of things I think the Senate has gotten to the 
point we know we don't need to have a full debate on before we recess 
this year. Therefore, I consider that addition to the House bill that 
Senator Menendez wishes to see become law as a nonstarter and would 
have to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I regret my colleague's objection. At 
the end of the day, I understand how passionately he feels. I hope he 
understands how passionately I feel. The reality is I find it very 
difficult when my constituents, U.S. citizens, paying their taxes, 
being good citizens, come to me and say: We cannot get reunified with 
our spouse. We cannot get reunified with our mother and father. We 
cannot get reunified with our son and daughter. That is the universe we 
are talking about.
  If we do not stand for the very core value of family reunification, 
while we talk about those who have money to invest and who get visas 
because they have money, well, we have seen what has happened with our 
system around here when everything is about money, and it is a huge 
failure. The proposition is that if you have money, yes, you can get a 
visa. But God forbid we give a U.S. citizen who is claiming their 
family a visa as well.
  I feel very passionately about this. I understand Senator Sessions 
feels very passionately about the way he views it, and I hope we can 
reconcile our passions and be able to have a little less heat, a little 
more light, and create an opportunity to be able to move forward in the 
days ahead. We have time until the end of November, and I certainly 
look forward to working constructively to make that happen.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

[[Page S9009]]

  The Senator from Hawaii is recognized.
  Mr. AKAKA. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. AKAKA pertaining to the introduction of S. 3527 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.

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