Congress Continues Work on Immigration, Military Funding, Health Care, Disaster Relief
‘Of course, a great deal of work lies ahead of us. In the near future, we need to make bipartisan progress on areas such as immigration and border security, disaster relief, health care, and securing adequate funding for our armed forces. It is my strong preference that Senators reach bipartisan agreements on these issues in advance of the February 8th deadline. Fortunately, with the government shutdown behind us, serious discussion has resumed on all these matters.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Congressional priorities:
“Of course, a great deal of work lies ahead of us. In the near future, we need to make bipartisan progress on areas such as immigration and border security, disaster relief, health care, and securing adequate funding for our armed forces. It is my strong preference that Senators reach bipartisan agreements on these issues in advance of the February 8th deadline. Fortunately, with the government shutdown behind us, serious discussion has resumed on all these matters.
“A bipartisan, bicameral group including Senators Cornyn and Durbin is hard at work on immigration. We will also hear from the White House on Monday, and I look forward to the framework they will present. I am optimistic these ongoing negotiations will lead to results. But nonetheless, I came to this floor on Sunday night, and again on Monday, to restate a possibility I’d previously discussed with members with diverse views on immigration policy.
“I restated that if the February 8th deadline for the current funding bill passes and a long-term agreement still eludes us, as long as the government remains open, the Senate will proceed to a variety of priorities on the subject of immigration – including border security, the DACA issue, and other aspects of immigration policy.
“The bill I choose to introduce for debate will have an amendment process that will ensure a level playing field at the outset. The amendment process will be fair to all sides, allowing members to offer their own legislation for consideration and votes. While I obviously cannot guarantee any outcomes, let alone supermajority support, I can ensure the process is fair to all sides.
“I am glad that my restating this simple position helped my Democratic colleagues persuade their Leader to abandon his filibuster and permit the government to re-open. But the American people are waiting for us to act, as soon as possible. So I hope that hard work and honest discussions will yield agreements before February 8th.”
Related Issues: Appropriations, Health Care, America's Military, Immigration
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