Speech #970225252

She arrived in Auschwitz and got off the train and the guard said. "You can keep one of your children. but not both." So here is a desperate mother having to decide which one of her children is going to go to the gas chamber. Well. this situation is not quite that dramatic. of course. but it is an illustration of the terrible conflict and choices we are having to make on this bill. Now. the amendment that I am offering here does not affect the cap of 425.000 immigrants in the bill. I want to repeat that. It does not affect the 425.000 immigrants who are allowed for family reunification and so on under the preferences. It does not disturb that cap. What it does do is put a cap on the number of refugees that we can accept into this country. except under certain conditions. Now. to understand what we are faced with. let me point out that the existing law of the land is that. unless the President comes over to the Congress and consults with us and issues a determination that he wants more than 50.000 refugees. then 50.000 is the limit. But it is an ineffective limit. because we have been admitting a lot more than that. The President has submitted a determination to us before the beginning of each fiscal year saying. "We want more than 50.000." Now. I want you to bear in mind. that under existing law. before the beginning of each fiscal year the President has to come to the Congress and say. "Here is the way it looks to me. but I am going to consult with you about it." He is then bound by law to consult with the Judiciary Committees of both the House and the Senate. After that consultation. he. and he alone. makes the determination as to how many refugees will be admitted into this country in the ensuing year. If he says. "I think this coming year we need 150.000 refugees." his say is final. not ours. his. My amendment changes that ever so slightly. We will raise the current 50.000 limit to 75.000and I want to point out that at the end of this year there is no limit on the number of refugees that can be admitted into this country so. what I am saying is that we are going to take the committee bill of 425.000 for immigrants. add 75.000 refugees. in order to produce a total cap of 500.000 who may enter this country next year. There could be no interchanging of numbers between categories. If we do not have 75.000 refugees. that would not raise the number of immigrants coming into the country. If we do not have 425.000 immigrants. that does not raise the number of refugees that can come into the country. What the amendment simply says is that the President. if he wants more than 75.000 refugees to come into this country in any one year. not only must consult and make the determination that he wants more and why. but also that Congress reserves. under my amendment. the right to disapprove the Presidents request within 30 days under expedited procedures after he submits it. If the President comes over and says. "I want 150.000 refugees next year." twice as many as my amendment would permit. Congress has the right to say. "Mr. President. you are helping to sink our ship. That is too many refugees." We have 30 days in both Houses to disapprove it under expedited procedures. I think it is only fair to say at this point that I have never been a great champion of legislative vetoes. I do not much like the concept.