Passing the Gang of Eight Bill to Find Out What Is In It

Katie Pavlich | June 24, 2013 8:16 AM

The race is on. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, with Republican Senator Marco Rubio's approval, is preparing to rush through the Gang of Eight's 1200 page amnesty legislation today by shutting down debate. Not surprisingly, according to Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, nobody has actually read the thing.

“The vote tomorrow is not a vote on just the Corker-Hoeven amendment. The vote tomorrow at 5:30 pm is a vote on Majority Leader Reid’s procedural motion to shut down debate on a 1,200-page substitute bill no one has read. The Corker-Hoeven amendment no longer exists as a standalone proposal. The amendment and the bill have been merged into a single 1,200-page substitute proposal. They are now one and the same," Sessions said in a statement. "And the Majority Leader’s motion will stifle amendments and accelerate the vote on final passage before anyone has vetted the modified legislation."

"Senator Rubio said he wouldn’t support a process that was rushed and that was not transparent. I hope that he, and all members who believe in open process, will vote against Majority Leader Reid’s motion to silence debate on a bill no one has read. And I would further issue a challenge to the sponsors of this bill: if your proposal is so good, then why not commit to extensive, open debate on it? Why do we have to pass this out of here before Members go home to face their constituents over July 4th? Whose interests do we serve?”

Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, Sarah Palin is ripping the Gang of Eight at Breitbart today:

Just like they did with Obamacare, some in Congress intend to “Pelosi” the amnesty bill. They’ll pass it in order to find out what’s in it. And just like the unpopular, unaffordable Obamacare disaster, this pandering, rewarding-the-rule-breakers, still-no-border-security, special-interests-ridden, 24-lb disaster of a bill is not supported by informed Americans.

I am an ardent supporter of legal immigration. I’m proud that our country is so desirable that it has been a melting pot making a diverse people united as the most exceptional nation on earth for over two centuries. But I join every American with an ounce of common sense insisting that any discussion about immigration must center on a secure border. The amnesty bill before the Senate is completely toothless on border security.

It's beyond disingenuous for anyone to claim that a vote for this bill is a vote for security.
Senator Rubio said he wouldn’t support a process that was rushed and that was not transparent. I hope that he, and all members who believe in open process, will vote against Majority Leader Reid’s motion to silence debate on a bill no one has read. And I would further issue a challenge to the sponsors of this bill: if your proposal is so good, then why not commit to extensive, open debate on it? Why do we have to pass this out of here before Members go home to face their constituents over July 4th? Whose interests do we serve?”