Thread: Menendez defends introduction of immigration reform bill bef

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) defended his introduction of an immigration bill just before leaving for the campaign recess as either an opportunity for lawmakers to take up the legislation either in the lame-duck session or in the next Congress.

Menendez, who along with Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) met with President Obama last month to press immigration reform, introduced a bill (S.3932) on Wednesday with co-sponsor Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

Menendez was asked Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" about the timing of introducing such legislation, and said it was important to have a bill on the table in case of any eventuality.

"If we're going to have any opportunity to consider the possiblity of lame-duck movement on it," he said, noting that retiring members may be more willing to push for it, "you need something to jump off from."

"If next Congress you need something as foundation," the bill will be there, Menendez said, adding that the legislation also served as an "invitation to bring Republican colleagues to discussion" on immigration reform.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), appearing along with Menendez on the program, said the timing of the bill's introduction was bad.

"It's a much too important issue to be treated as a political football," Cornyn said.[

Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... -adjourned


KEEP CALLING ALL THE REPUBS, CONSERVADEMS, AND THOSE WHO VOTED NO ON THE DREAM ACT IN 2007!

IT MAY NOT BE OVER!

They may very well try to ram this through , along with the dream act and ag jobs

We need to find or figure out a way for these idiotic bills to go away for good

menendez. just look at the name and one knows whose side this moron will favor, and it sure wont be the american people

On a second thought, it's likely that the Bush tax cuts will be debated first and that'll occupy some time.

But still, doesn't the bill have to go through some committees before it's brought to the floor for a debate? That'll take some time.

In addition, there are only how many days remaining after the lame duck session before a new Congress session begins?