[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 18105]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     OUR BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to implore you and the House 
majority to reach across the aisle to find common ground, to reach out 
their hands to fix our broken immigration system.
  Last summer, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate came together 
and passed comprehensive immigration reform with a strong bipartisan 
vote, a vote of 68-32. That is like a super-duper majority. In fact, 
one poll last month showed that 63 percent of Americans--two-thirds of 
Americans--support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. 
Business leaders, chambers of commerce, labor unions, faith groups, 
immigrant families, law enforcement officials, and Americans of every 
race, creed, color, and ethnicity all across our country applauded our 
Senators for reaching across the aisle. For many, it really gave hope 
and a belief in our government that we are still capable of putting 
aside political posturing and of building consensus around the 
difficult issues that face our country.
  But today, as I speak, Americans are asking: What happened? They are 
confused as to why the House of Representatives can't do the same thing 
that the Senate did and pass immigration reform. They are even more 
confused as to why the House can't even dignify the issue with a simple 
up-or-down vote.
  Those people have not gone away, Mr. Speaker. Oh, no. In fact, today, 
the call to action is still as loud and clear as it has ever been.
  Just yesterday, I visited the Fast for Families movement on The 
National Mall, where faith leaders had actually been fasting for 22 
days--22 days with no food. Some were hospitalized to safely break the 
fast per the doctor's orders, but others pressed on. Replacement 
fasters stepped up, including our own Representative Kennedy, who, in 
the legacy of his grandfather, Bobby, acknowledged the need to embrace 
the immigrant issue.
  So I ask my colleagues in the majority, my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle: What are we waiting for? Our job creators want 
reform. Our workforce wants it, and our spiritual leaders say it is the 
right thing to do. Overwhelmingly, so do the American people.
  The facts are so clear that reform will tremendously benefit all of 
our country. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office has followed the 
money, and it estimates that immigration reform will increase the gross 
domestic product by $700 billion in 2023 and by $1.4 trillion in 2033; 
but here we are today, facing government shutdowns and sequester levels 
that eviscerate services that so many vulnerable Americans rely on.
  This is where we are stuck. It has been 5 months since the Senate 
passed its bill; yet we have only 6 days scheduled until the end of the 
year, and we haven't had one serious vote on immigration reform. 
Americans have put their differences aside for the common good of our 
country, and they expect us to do the same thing in this, our beloved 
democracy.
  Once again, I want to reiterate that I stand here, ready to work with 
my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in order to move our 
country forward. I applaud my brave colleagues on the other side who 
have already taken a stand and have put politics aside, and I encourage 
more of my colleagues to answer that calling and meet us halfway.
  The American people are fed up with the status quo and gridlock here 
in Washington. Let's come together and strengthen our businesses, our 
economy, our workforce, and our families.

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