After consultation with the Senator from Massachusetts. I am going to withdraw that amendment. but as I withdraw it. I want to say. as we move into the immigration debate. which we will do on the floor of the Senate hopefully sooner rather than later. this amendment will come up again. The importance of this amendment cannot be overstated. There are farmers and ranchers all across America who use a legal workforce versus an illegal workforce. Between now and the time this debate comes up on immigration. I am afraid that by not moving ahead with the adoption of this amendment. we are going to encourage farmers and ranchers in the use of illegal immigrants. But the fact is. we have been debating this minimum wage bill now for 2 weeks or more. It is time to conclude it. This amendment has stirred up some controversyfor the right reasons. because we do need to talk about the amount of money we pay to our workforce in the agricultural sector. But I do appreciate the Senator from Massachusetts. in his conversations and his commitment to me. that as we move into the immigration debate we will talk about this once again. as we did last year. Madam President. at this time I withdraw that amendment. I ask unanimous consent to do so.
Keywords matched
illegal immigrants immigration