Speech #1020178893

President. on yesterday. during comments concerning the Russian aid bill. I made extemporaneous remarks which could be interpreted in a way that I did not intend. I was referring to a provision in the bill that extends a special status to immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Vietnam. Cambodia. and Laos that would allow entrance to these immigrants beyond the normal United States standards for refugees or those seeking asylum. That special status. which has already been granted until September 30. 1992. would be extended for 2 additional years under this Russian aid legislation. This provision has concerned me because especially it could mean the migration of unknown numbers of new immigrants to our shores. As chairman of the Appropriations Committee. I know firsthand of the extreme shortage of money to meet the needs of our own population. I have wrestled mightily every year since becoming chairman with trying to provide enough money to educate our children. meet the needs of our cities. battle crime in our streets. provide transportation to our population. meet our health care needs. and on and on and on. I am very concerned that a very open immigration policy only makes it more difficult to adequately meet these needs. I have found the attempt to fund critical needs for America to be among the most frustrating challenges that I have ever undertaken. I have implored this administration to take into account these critical needs. and I have done this in budget summits. in meetings and in letters. all to no avail. I fear that on yesterday those frustrations were expressed in a way that might offend many immigrants and the descendants of many immigrants. This Nation is remarkable precisely because of this diversity. For generations. the United States of America has had the good fortune to have been able to draw not only upon the talents of nativeborn Americans. but also upon the talents of foreignborn citizens. Immigrants from many nations built our railroads. worked in our factories. mined our coal and made our steel. advanced our scientific and technological capabilities. and added literature. art. poetry. and music to the fabric of American life. Of course. many of these new Americans had trouble with our language and customs when they first arrived. but they learned our language. they grasped our constitutional principles. they abided by our laws and contributed in a mighty way to our success as a nation. Indeed.