This Week in Washington – Friday, July 23, 2010
It's no secret illegal immigration is an ongoing problem in the United States and that the federal government has thus far failed to stem the tide of illegal aliens entering our country. It is now clearer than ever that we cannot hope to stop individuals from entering this country illegally until we finish building a physical fence on our southern border. In addition, we must give the U.S. Border Patrol the materials and manpower it needs to enforce our immigration laws. Businesses also need to know they are hiring law-abiding citizens when they have an open position.
It is for these reasons I have just introduced the Border Security and Employee Verification Act of 2010. My bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to immediately begin building an additional 150 miles of fence on the southern border. The Department must also report to Congress on their plan and timeframe for finishing a fence along our entire southern border. Along with the additional fencing, the bill increases the number of Border Patrol agents by 6,000. It also provides them with the facilities and vehicles they need to carry out their mission.
My legislation would require Homeland Security to make certain the E-Verify program – which allows employers to check possible employees against databases to ensure they aren't undocumented – is working as well as it can for the businesses that rely on it. We need to make sure the E-Verify system is as current and accurate as possible so companies know they are hiring legal citizens.
Our country was founded on the rule of law. Those who enter this country without going through the proper naturalization process have violated one of our most basic principles. By circumventing the immigration system, they disadvantage the millions of new Americans who have spent the time, energy and money to come here legally. Many illegal aliens take jobs legal immigrants want and others live off taxpaying Americans. My bill will make sure we are taking positive steps to seal our southern border, properly patrol it and give businesses a vital resource they need to operate within the letter of the law.
"America Speaking Out"
Like many of you, I've been appalled by the high-priced, ill-conceived pieces of legislation coming out of Washington. Most have been hashed out in closed door negotiations and passed thanks to back room deals – many against the will of the American people.
In response, House Republicans created an initiative called "America Speaking Out." We want to gather ideas from the American people about which direction the country should be headed in and how we should get there.
This is an opportunity for you, the American voters, to have your voice heard. I encourage everyone out there to go to the website www.AmericaSpeakingOut.com, sign up and get engaged in the discussion.
You will be able to see the ideas that are already on the table, make comments on them, and register your approval or disapproval. The Republican Conference will compile your ideas and present them as apart of our America Speaking Out Agenda in September.
America needs a new direction, and we're counting on you to help us lead the way.
This Week
On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 4380, the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act, also known as the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) with a bi-partisan vote. American manufacturers of all sizes will use the MTB's tariff suspension provisions to obtain raw materials, proprietary inputs and other products that are not available in our nation.
I believe the MTB is one of the most important short-term actions Congress could have taken to preserve and expand good American jobs, cut the costs of doing business in the United States and boost American manufacturing exports. Had we not passed it, the cost to import many products we don't have access to in this country would have increased, which inevitably would have been passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices for manufactured goods. Some estimate the economic impact of this bill alone will be an increase in U.S. production of $4.6 billion and support almost 90,000 jobs. This was a good bill and I was happy to be able to support it.
On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 4213, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, a $34 billion measure which extends unemployment benefits to those in need through the end of November, 2010. I have been a consistent supporter of extending these important benefits to Missouri families. Unfortunately, the bill that came to the House floor for debate yesterday did not include a plan to pay for the extension. If it had, for example, paid for the cost with unspent stimulus dollars, I would have been happy to support it. However, adding billions to the national debt is not what American families and businesses need right now.
If the federal government really wants to help grow jobs, Congress and the Administration need to stop introducing so much uncertainty into the business community in the form of increased regulations and taxation. Remove those two hurdles and America's small businesses in particular will start to expand, increase their work forces and begin the process of returning us to prosperity.
The House will be in session next week. Have a nice weekend!
Sincerely,
