Last night Leadership in the House of Representatives decided that they would allow votes on no more than 129 amendments today. They expect to vote on the bill’s final passage before leaving town for recess to return for a week back in their districts. Here are the amendments that are likely to be considered that would have an impact on immigration and refugee programs:
- Poe 199 – Bar funding for litigating the lawsuit challenging S.B. 1070
- Kinzinger 445 – Bar funding for litigating lawsuit challenging S.B. 1070
- Jordan 104 – Cut the bill’s funding by an additional 5.5 percent
- Mulvaney 164 – Cut funding for most accounts to FY 2006 levels
- Matheson 496 – Cut the bill’s funding by an additional $600 million
- Matheson 497 – Cut the bill’s funding by an additional $280 million
- Campbell 519 – Cut the bill’s funding by 3.5 percent
- Latourette 540 – Cut the bill’s funding by various amounts
- Schrader 552 – Cut the bill’s funding by various amounts
As we pointed out in our previous posts, the cuts proposed and the ammendments on the table are very dangerous. The amendments that limit the the Department of Justice’s ability to challenge a law attempts to protect a piece of legislation from the rightful challenges it must face to pass the test of Constitutionality.
The Department of Justice’s job is to uphold the Constitution. This amendment would interfere with the U.S. judicial system’s process. Our founding fathers separated the three branches of government to prevent this type of behavior. Members of Congress who hold the Constitution sacred should oppose these types of amendments. The American people expect the courts to resolve the legal issues surrounding Arizona law in a fair and just way. They do not want interference from politicians in Washington.
For the funding amendments (3-9), these cuts would cut deeper into the already devastating cuts proposed by the House bill. It would cripple our ability to help people feeling conflict or stuck in the interminable limbo of refugee camps.
In many ways the United States embodies the last true hope for a refugee who has been uprooted from all that they knew and rejected by the country they fled to. As the world leader in providing protection and assistance to the most vulnerable victims of world conflicts, the United States has a honorable tradition in providing safe-haven, and now is no time to reduce our role in rebuilding lives.
If we cut funds in such a drastic manner what we ultimately do is close our doors to those desperate for a normal live for them and their families. We would also fail to show the leadership we have always been lauded for, standing up for the vulnerable and the persecuted.
Please call or write your members of Congress and urge them to oppose any cuts to refugee funding. Members will vote on these amendments today. To connect you with the Capitol Switchboard, dial (202) 224-3121 and they will patch you in to speak with your Representative’s office.