It's wrong-headed because until now the Senate has been steadfast in its position: legal immigrants have made countless positive contributions to our country for generations. And granting illegal immigrants a "pass" on the process so many hardworking and law-abiding Americans have so diligently followed would be more than just a mistake; it would be an insult to legal immigrants.
Just as bad is the timing of this bill. We're already four weeks into the fiscal year, and there are at least three other items we need to address before we even start talking about DREAM:
- We haven't yet sent even one funding bill to the White House. We must authorize money for our men and women serving abroad, provide the intelligence community with resources they need to fight Al-Queda and other terrorist groups, and submit common-sense spending bills.
- The moratorium on Internet access taxes is just seven days from expiring. If we don't pass something, states will jump on it and put new taxes on everyone who uses the web. This would be a terrible defeat for taxpayers. I've been working to pass a permanent moratorium on these taxes and you can join me by signing my online petition here.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax, a confusing and outdated law, needs to be overhauled before some 50 million taxpayers fall victim to it next year. The Treasury Secretary has already said we need to act in early November to stop this from happening. That's just next month, and we need to work on it now.
The Congress has a chance to move our country forward on a road of responsible fiscal policy. Passing DREAM now would be a wrong turn for all Americans.
