Speech #1030109628

I heard the Senator from Wyoming say this is a crime bill and that the Graham amendment ought to be put in health care reform rather than on a crime bill. I could say that about the underlying Exon amendment. It has to do with immigration policy. That has nothing to do with crime. So why does not the Senator from Wyoming. If he is so interested in that. why does he not have the Senator from Nebraska offer his amendment not on a crime bill but on an immigration bill? We have before us the Exon amendment that would cut off Federal funding for illegal aliens in this country. We Just had the vote on the Graham amendment to get a 2year stay to seewhat the effect of this would be. but we know what the effect of it would be. Those States in which we have a high proportion of undocumented aliens would be forced to pick up the tab for what is essentially a national problem. We do not have a lot In Iowa. I daresay to my friend from Nebraska. we do not have a lot of illegal aliens in Nebraska. or Iowaa few. maybe. That does not release us from our responsibility to respond to this on a national basis. We cannot dump it in the laps of California or New Mexico or Arizona or other border StatesFlorida. It is a national problem. After all. there is really nothing those States can do individually to protect themselves from an influx of illegal aliens. They have to rely upon the U.S. Government to do that.