Sorry Senate, Your Amnesty Bill Is Irredeemable

Katherine Rosario | June 18, 2013

Putting amnesty in an “immigration reform” bill precludes the possibility of it being good for America; amnesty is simply bad for America. No specific amendment, no rhetoric, no emotional plea and no arbitrary number of votes can change that.

Unfortunately, according to CQ Roll Call (sub. req’d), some Senate Republicans believe a certain number of votes is all it takes:

Senate Republicans are coalescing around a number of proposed amendments that they say could create enough momentum for the immigration bill to pass the Senate with more than 70 votes, a mark of support they say would improve the legislation’s chances in the House.

Republicans are working on amendments related to border security, employment verification, public benefits for undocumented immigrants and other issues and hope to introduce it within the next few days.

Ted Cruz and Mike Needham Discuss Why Younger People Oppose Internet Sales Tax

Katherine Rosario | June 18, 2013

Today, conservative from inside and outside Congress spoke at a press conference in opposition to the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act. Those in attendance included Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY), Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and John Fleming (R-LA), and a host of conservative leaders including Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham.

After the press conference, Sen. Cruz fielded a question and discussed a Heritage Action study on the age demographics of who voted for the Internet sales tax and who voted against it.

Needham explained that there is an average ten year age difference between those who vote for the Internet tax and those who voted against it. Indeed, every single Republican in the Senate under the age of 50 voted against the internet sales tax. He said:

There’s no doubt that the internet economy is the future, and [younger members of Congress who opposed the bill] are standing up for free enterprise and for small businesses who are trying to be the productive force that the Senator talked about earlier.

Untangling the Spin: Will House Move on Amnesty Without the Support of Republican Majority?

Katherine Rosario | June 18, 2013

Over the past couple days, the immigration spotlight shifted to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). The question everyone in Washington is asking is whether Speaker Boehner would bring a comprehensive immigration reform plan to the floor without the support of a majority of Republicans; in other words, would he violate the Hastert rule for the fifth time in 2013.

Obamacare: What’s Good for the Goose Isn’t Good For the Gander After All?

Katherine Rosario | June 18, 2013

Rep. John Larson (D-CT) is whining that Obamacare will force him and his staff to purchase expensive, low-quality health care – just like the rest of Americans. Apparently he was under the impression that he and his staff would be able to keep their generous, taxpayer-funded health insurance once Obamacare became law. But a provision added to the legislation puts aides and lawmakers into the same government-run exchanges as many other Americans.

Rep. Larson literally said, “This is simply not fair.” Does he recall that he voted to pass Obamacare?

He is not alone in his hypocrisy.

Politico reported:

Dozens of lawmakers and aides are so afraid that their health insurance premiums will skyrocket next year thanks to Obamacare that they are thinking about retiring early or just quitting.

I recently spoke with Boaz Steiner, an Israeli immigrant who is now a citizen of the United States. His insurance company recently informed him and his wife Linda – along with two-million others — that they will be losing their health savings accounts (HSA). Needless to say, Mr. Steiner is frustrated that his HSA, which he’s had for two years, will no longer be an option on January 1, 2014.

Morning Action: House Gets Closer to “Bipartisan” Immigration Reform Deal

Katherine Rosario | June 18, 2013

AMNESTY. A House group composed of Democrats and Republicans is poised to unveil its own immigration reform bill. The House wants to take a more piece-by-piece approach than the Senate comprehensive amnesty bill. Nonetheless, it is still unclear how similar this bill will be to the Senate’s amnesty bill:

The House bipartisan group, which has labored for four years without releasing anything, is finally on the verge of producing a bill. The House Judiciary Committee is holding its first immigration markup on Tuesday on an enforcement-centered bill that Democrats abhor.

And the all-Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus will huddle with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday, and immigration will undoubtedly be a hot topic.

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) wants immigration reform to pass and apparently plans to move immigration reform by capitalizing on divisions among conservatives:

The rare split inside the conservative wing of Boehner’s Republican conference offers him an uncommon opportunity to bring a bill to the floor without facing an insurrection among his members. It also means convincing enough conservatives that passing some immigration measure won’t be preamble to the Senate using compromise negotiations to jam a more liberal version down the House’s throat.