Speech #1140027489

First. my previous amendment was No. 1233. This would be 1234. It would hold the Obama administration and the United States Trade Representative to their assurances that no trade agreement will be used to change U.S. immigration law or policy. This has been done in the past to a significant degree. It resulted in Chairman SENSEN3RENNER and ranking member CONYERS writing a letter saying: Never again should any trade agreement amend immigration law. That is the province of the Congress. according to the Constitution. In 2003. I offered a resolution after a past trade agreement did just thatbypassed Congress authority over immigration law. The resolution passed unanimously. Senator FEINSTEIN and other Democrats signed on. It said: Never again will immigration law be amended as part of a trade agreement. Trade agreements are not the way to change law of the United States. especially when you have a President who is rewriting immigration law. enforcing immigration law that Congress explicitly rejected through his Executive amnesty. So my amendment is modeled after the Congressional Responsibility for Immigration Act of 2003. a bill sponsored by our Democratic colleagues. Senators LEAHY. FEINSTEIN. and Kennedyformer Senator Kennedy. our former colleague. It would prohibit the application of fasttrack authority procedures to any implementing bill that affects U.S. immigration law or policy or the entry of aliens. if an implementing bill or trade agreement violates those terms. Then. any Member could raise a point of order against the implementing bill. ensuring that the bill is considered under regular Senate procedures allowing amendment and debate. Look. now they tell us that we should not be concerned. Colleagues. we have heard it said that this will not happenno future trade agreements will affect U.S. immigration law. All right. but I am a little nervous about that. I have been watching the language on this. Senator GRASSLEY. at the Finance Committee hearing a few weeks ago. asked the Trade Representative. Mr. Froman. this: My question: Could you assure the committee that the TPP agreement or any side agreement does not and will not contain any provision relating to immigration. visa processing or temporary entries of persons? That is a good questionsimple question. They have been indicating not.