[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 83 (Thursday, June 4, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H6243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           STOP E-VERIFY DELAYS AND PROTECT AMERICAN WORKERS

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, 13 million Americans are out of 
work, but 8 million illegal immigrants hold jobs in the United States. 
Yet the Obama administration has just delayed for the third time a 
requirement that Federal contractors use E-Verify to make sure that 
they hire legal workers. U.S. citizens and legal immigrant workers 
should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for employment, 
especially taxpayer-funded Federal contract jobs. The Federal 
Government has several hundred billion dollars worth of contracts, each 
with good jobs that rightfully belong to American workers. E-Verify is 
the best tool to ensure job security for them. E-Verify works. It 
immediately confirms 99.6 percent of work-eligible employees. More than 
127,000 companies now use E-Verify, and Federal contractors should be 
required to use it. The Obama administration should put American 
workers first. They must stop delaying the requirement that Federal 
contractors hire legal workers.

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