[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5492-5493]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Senate suffered a notable and stunning 
defeat

[[Page 5493]]

of bipartisanship this week during the debate over background checks. 
They said a week ago we would never get on the bill, but the Senate 
joined together and we got on the bill. Then yesterday, as I have 
indicated earlier, we got a significant majority of the Senate voting 
to move forward on this background check. Ninety percent of the 
Democrats, which is in keeping with the American people, and four 
valiant Republicans joined to put us where we are today.
  But the week did not bring only bad news from the legislative front. 
A bipartisan group of eight of my Senate colleagues--it would never 
have happened a few years ago, but it is going to happen now. As I 
indicated, quoting Senator Schumer, background checks is about where 
immigration was just a few years ago. A bipartisan group of my Senate 
colleagues--four Democrats and four Republicans--from all different 
political persuasions introduced a comprehensive plan to reform our 
broken immigration system. Senators Schumer, McCain, Durbin, Menendez, 
Graham, Bennet, Rubio, and Flake worked very hard on this legislation. 
All one needs to do is look at the legislative pedigree of these eight 
Senators. They are all over the book--liberal, conservative, moderate. 
And that is the way it should be.
  I commend each of them for setting partisanship aside--both Democrats 
and Republicans setting partisanship aside--on an issue that is 
critical to our great Nation. The four Democrats did not get everything 
I wanted in that legislation they now have before the American people. 
They did not give me, they did not give Democrats everything they 
wanted in these negotiations. But, as I have said on this floor 
numerous times, that is what legislating is. It is the art of 
compromise. It is not the art of getting everything you want.
  I have been in this body a long time, and I have been very fortunate 
to put my name on things that have passed here, and I have helped guide 
things through this Senate in the last many years. I have to on 
occasion swallow hard and say: Well, we are going to have to compromise 
here to get this done.
  That is what we need to do. People have been in a situation where 
they have been unwilling to compromise. There are things that have 
happened in the great history of this body that have come by 
compromise. I have never ever gotten everything I wanted. Republicans 
in these negotiations dealing with immigration, I guarantee you, did 
not get everything they wanted, just as Democrats did not.
  But I am satisfied with this legislation. It continues to secure our 
borders, the northern and southern borders. It improves our 
dysfunctional legal immigration system. Our immigration system is 
broken, and has been for quite some time, and needs to be fixed.
  Another thing that is important, it requires 11 million people who 
are undocumented to pass a criminal background check, pay fines, start 
on a path to citizenship, and, yes, learn English. It does not put them 
at the head of the line; it puts them at the back of the line. It takes 
about 12 or 13 years to finally get up there. But at least the program 
is moving forward. I look forward to hearings on this measure that will 
be led by Senator Leahy.
  Mr. President, I want to take a minute to commend Chairman Leahy. He 
is the most senior Member of the Senate, he is the President pro 
tempore of the Senate, but he also has an important responsibility as 
chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
  The reason we were able to get the legislation on the floor that we 
have been working on this past few weeks is because of Senator Leahy, 
because he had his committee--even though, as I have just indicated, 
Senator Leahy did not agree with everything that came out of that 
committee of his; he comes from the State of Vermont which is much 
different than other places people on that committee come from around 
the country, but he brought it forward, and everything we voted on as 
the base bill came out of that committee.
  It is the same as is going to happen on immigration. Senators--these 
eight--a significant number of them want to do hearings. They want to 
have a markup. Other Senators said: Let's just move to the floor. Well, 
there are a number of Senators who believe it should come out of the 
committee first, so that is what is going to happen. So I commend 
Senator Leahy for agreeing to do this.
  He is going to have a hearing tomorrow and another one on Monday. He 
has estimated a time for the markup. So I commend him for his 
leadership with Judiciary.
  I repeat, I look forward to hearings on this measure before the 
committee, and to a thoughtful debate on the Senate floor.
  We are going to have ample time to discuss and consider this 
legislation. I am going to do what I can to get this bill across the 
finish line, which I think we are going to do. I think we are going to 
do it pretty soon.

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