Disingenuous views on GOP and immigration

In her “Your Views” letter in the Daily Herald on March 20, Corinne M. Pierog, chairman of the Kane County Board, claimed that the Republican Caucus leadership “put politics before the needs of the American people” by refusing to call for a vote on the bipartisan funding package passed by the Senate on February 13.

It’s likely that this bill will not be called for a vote by the Republican-controlled House. Pundits and Democrat politicians, like Chairman Pierog, assert that Donald Trump opposed the bill because he wanted “to use the crisis at the southern border as a wedge issue for his presidential campaign.” But, perhaps Republican members of the House oppose the bill for reasons unrelated to Donald Trump.

On May 15 last year, the House passed H.R. 2 – Secure the Border Act - and presented the bill to the Senate. To date, H.R. 2 has not been brought to the Senate floor for a vote. Unlike the Senate bill, H.R. 2 is not an omnibus bill. Its 212 pages contain no language or appropriations for any issues unrelated to immigration and border security.

It is the most comprehensive immigration and border security bill proposed by Congress to date. It addresses issues that were never considered or imagined in the original Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, the Technical Corrections Act of 1994, or any of the other intervening acts.

Granted, there are many items in this bill that Democrats will oppose. That’s why bills are negotiated in committee. But, for Democrats and the media to ignore the existence of H.R. 2 and instead accuse the Republicans of putting “politics before the needs of the American people” is disingenuous and dishonest. Read the bill. H.R. 2 and every bill introduced in congress is available on congress.gov.

Randy Harris

Campton Hills