Speech #1140009915

If the majority leader wanted a vote on this bill. he shouldnt have wasted a month repeating the same failed procedural vote four times with the same result. Albert Einstein said that is the definition of insanity. when you keep doing the same thing over and over again. getting the same result. We have said all along that we are more than happy to have an immigration debate once Homeland Security is funded. Nevada so badly needs full funding of Homeland Security. State and local governments demand full funding of Homeland Security. It is not only for Nevada. it is all across the country. because the homeland cannot be protected the way the law is now set up unless the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has the ability to grant. If there is full funding. it would be almost $2 billion worth of programs to allow the homeland to be protected by State and local governments. So we are happy to have a debate on immigration. but we have to fully fund Homeland Security. We have said that all along. We have said it not once. not twice. but we have said it many different times. In fact. there was a proposal brought to the Senate floor 3 weeks ago. sponsored by Senators MIKULSKI and SHAHEEN. only to have the Republicans object to that. We want a debate on immigration. We are happy to have a debate on immigration. We are eager to debate immigration now or any other time. but we cant do that until we fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. We have been saying that for 4 weeks and nothing has changed in the last 24 hours. The majority leader should allow a vote on the MikulskiShaheen funding. which is sitting on the floor right now.