Durbin, Burris voted against American jobs

Both Senator Durbin and Senator Burris voted to kill an amendment that would have reauthorized the E-Verify program for the next five years. E-Verify is a real-time, web-based verification system run by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration that verifies the authenticity of personal information and credentials offered by existing employees and new hires.

In addition to allowing employers the opportunity to confirm the legal employment status of existing employees and new hires the system also helps to detour the growing illegal traffic of counterfeit credentials.

With unemployment now at over 8 percent and almost $1 trillion of taxpayer financed money being earmarked to create new jobs, it is hard to understand why our two senators would not adamantly support any program that helps ensure these new jobs go to unemployed or underemployed worker with legal status.

Reauthorization of E-Verify was already passed by the House of Representatives, so when you consider the senate vote to kill the amendment passed by the extremely narrow margin of 50 - 47, it becomes especially disappointing to realize the pivotal role Illinois' two senators played in blocking the reauthorization of the E-Verify program. It is very likely that the future of the E-Verify program will come up for senate consideration again soon, so if you support the reauthorization of E-Verify please contact Senator Durban and Senator Burris and let them know the E-verify program needs to be reauthorized and furthermore that the use of E-verify must be made mandatory for any company benefiting from a taxpayer funded government contract.

Jon Dagen

Hoffman Estates