Press Releases

Lee Delivers Remarks, Calls Gang of 8 Bill a “Disappointment”

Jun 27, 2013

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) delivered remarks on the Senate floor, expressing his opposition to the Gang of 8 immigration bill.

I rise today in support of immigration reform.  

I support strengthening our borders and ensuring they are secure before beginning a pathway to citizenship because it is the only way we will avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

I support robust interior enforcement and a biometric visa tracking system because without them we will not solve the problem of illegal immigration.

I support modernizing and streamlining our visa system because we need an efficient process of legal immigration that meets the needs of our economy.  

And I support immigration reform that is both tough on those who have chosen to break our laws and fair for those who have obeyed them.  

Today, there is reason for disappointment but also cause for encouragement.  

The bill we have before us today is an enormous disappointment.  The American people deserve better.

As a matter of public policy, this bill fails to meet many of the goals we set out to meet.  

It is full of promises to beef up border security, but makes no assurances.  This legislation cuts out the American people by cutting out any congressional oversight.  It remains grossly unfair to those who have languished in our current legal immigration system, unable to get answers for decades in some cases.   It transfers enormous authority and discretion to the Executive Branch, exacerbating an already widespread problem in our federal government.

And it fails perhaps the most important test of all: according to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill will reduce illegal immigration by just 25 percent in the next ten years.  This should be reason alone to scrap this entire bill.  

As a matter of process, members of this body should be embarrassed about how this bill moved through the Senate.  

From Day One, the country was misled about what was in the bill. The talking points never matched the reality of what was in the bill.  

We were told that if we didn’t like what was in it, we could fix it.  But that wasn’t true either.  During the committee “mark up,” Democrats and the Gang of Eight Republicans voted as a bloc to defeat virtually all substantive amendments proposed to improve the bill.

They said there would be regular order on the floor.  But that turned out to be a false promise as well.  For a 1200-page bill, the Senate, including the members not on the Judiciary Committee, was allowed exactly 9 roll call votes before the process was shut down.  

During the 2007 debate on immigration reform, the Senate voted 32 times to amend the bill.  Some would argue even that was too small.  But certainly nine votes on a 1200-page bill doesn’t suggest that the proponents of the bill are interested in regular order.

And for the grand finale, at nearly the end of this process, the proponents substituted what is effectively a brand new bill in place of the one we had been debating for over two months.  They gave us very little time to read it before we had to vote on it, and, once we were on to the new bill, they did not allow a single vote on any amendments.  

Mr./Madame President, this is an embarrassment to this institution and an assault on the principles of democracy.  

But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, from this low point in the Senate springs an encouraging path forward for those, like me, who truly want immigration reform.  

First, this exercise has laid out in front of the American people all the problems inherent in passing massive pieces of legislation that presume to fix all of our problems at once.   The so-called comprehensive approach has been utterly discredited.  

From denying votes to buying votes, our experience over the past two months only reaffirms why the vast majority of Americans don’t trust Washington.  The special interests had a huge hand in writing the bill while the American people had none.  Almost all of the discussions and negotiations took place in secret back-room deals.  And rather than debate policy differences, the debate was a daily “fact check” on misleading and outright false claims made by the bill’s proponents.  

The good news is that the House appears to have learned this lesson and wants no part of it.  Already, the Speaker has said the Senate bill is dead on arrival – so today’s vote is largely symbolic.  

The House Judiciary Committee has recently passed two significant pieces of immigration reform – one on interior enforcement and another dealing with agricultural workers – proving that reform can be passed in a step-by-step approach.  

Indeed, the only reason immigration reform is controversial is because the Senate refuses to pass it one piece at a time.  There is simply no legitimate reason why we have to pass a one-size-fits-all, take-it-or-leave-it bill.  

Though it is likely this bill will pass today, I strongly encourage my colleagues to consider where we started, where we are now, and what lies ahead.  

They said it would secure the border. It doesn’t.  Congress has been fooled by false promises before.  We shouldn’t go down that path again.

They said illegal immigration would be a thing of the past.  It won’t. The Congressional Budget Office confirmed that under this bill there would still be 6 to 8 million illegals in the country in ten years.  

They said it would be good for the economy.  It isn’t. CBO also confirmed it would lower wages and increase unemployment.  

They said it would be tough but fair.  It’s neither.  It is not tough on those who have broken the law and it is not fair for the people who have been trying to come here legally.  

And if this bill passes today, it will be all but relegated to the ash heap of history, as the House appears willing to tackle immigration reform the right way.

The sponsors of this bill had the best of intentions, but in my opinion, intentions aren’t enough.  

As I said at the outset, Mr./Madame President, I stand here today in support of immigration reform.  But this bill is not immigration reform.  It is big government dysfunction, and it is why I cannot support it.

Lee Reacts to Supreme Court Decision on DOMA

Jun 26, 2013

I believe marriage is properly defined as between one man and one woman. I hope the Court will respect its own decision and the constitutional rights of Utahns and citizens of every state to legislate in their own States according to their beliefs and values.

Lee Reacts to Supreme Court Decision to Hear Recess Appointment Case

Jun 24, 2013

Although I am pleased to hear that the Supreme Court will address the constitutionality of President Obama’s purported recess appointments, had the Senate protected its institutional prerogatives and objected to the President’s violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers, the case would never have needed to go to court.

Murphy, Udall, Lee, Paul introduce bill to block military funds to Syria

Jun 20, 2013

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit the President from using any funds on activities that would escalate U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Lee and Sessions Hold Colloquy as They Wait For Corker--Hoeven Amendment Text

Jun 20, 2013

Senator Lee and Senator Sessions discuss the immigration bill on the Senate floor.

Lee Introduces Congressional Approval Amendment to Immigration Bill

Jun 19, 2013

amendment number 1208 would require fast-track congressional approval at the introduction of the Department of Homeland Security border security strategies, before the award of Registered Provisional Immigrant, or RPI status, and before the eligibility for that status begins, and also at the certification of the strategy's completion, before those receiving RPI Status may become eligible to become lawful permanent residents, eligible to receive green cards.

Lee Statement On Failure To Pass Congressional Approval Amendment

Jun 19, 2013

The failure of my amendment means their voices have been silenced and the unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats will determine for themselves whether or not border security goals have been met. It is yet another indication that the supporters of this bill are not serious about fixing our broken immigration system or securing the border.

Lee, Fleming Laud Passage of Religious Liberties Protections for Service Members

Jun 17, 2013

Senator Mike Lee praised the passage of strong religious liberty protections for members of the armed services in the Senate Armed Services Committee-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act

Lee Opposes the Metal Theft Prevention Act

Jun 13, 2013

In my view, this bill exceeds Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause and imposes a federal regulatory scheme in an area of law the Constitution reserves to the states. In the interest of maintaining the balance between state and federal authority, I will vote against reporting this bill from the Judiciary Committee.

GOP Senators: National Monuments Become Administration’s Latest Tool in War against Oil and Gas

Jun 13, 2013

Monument designations under this administration deserve particular scrutiny. After revelations that the IRS targeted political opponents of the president before the last election, we are now hearing that far-left environmental groups are expecting rewards for their support of the president. Lands are not the spoils of political battles. How they can and cannot be used directly affects the local and state economy, and the ability to fund things like education and infrastructure improvements.