Congressional Democrats are trying to sneak a provision offering amnesty for illegal immigrants into a massive spending bill that could cost as much as $6 trillion, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) claimed Thursday.
“This is the word we’ve been getting over the last couple of weeks,” Cotton told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom”. “The Democrats want to include a massive amnesty in that legislation. That will simply act as a bigger magnet for more illegal immigration into this country.”
Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have insisted that a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan be considered in tandem with a much larger bill, with Pelosi repeatedly saying she would not allow a House vote on the bipartisan bill until the Senate passes the larger plan through the parliamentary gambit of reconciliation.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, was “running point and leading on” the reconciliation package.
“We say to Senator Sanders, you’re an important partner and we look forward to continuing to work with you to get this and the reconciliation package across the finish line,” Psaki said at the time.
“They know that Republicans are never going to support some kind of massive amnesty, certainly with our border totally open,” Cotton told Fox host Dana Perino Thursday. “But Bernie Sanders and [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer [D-NY] and Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden’s administration are actively working behind closed doors right now to try to include an amnesty in that budget bill.
“That’s something I’m going to fight to the bitter end to stop because we do not need a single new illegal alien coming to this country when we’re already at a generational high level,” Cotton went on.
Under reconciliation, certain budget-related items can pass the Senate with 51 votes. However, Senate Democrats can’t afford to lose any members of their conference, lending outsized importance to moderate members like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
Manchin, who has frustrated far-left Democrats by opposing legislation like the For The People Act and a $15 federal minimum wage, said last week he could countenance passing a spending plan through reconciliation. However, Manchin told Fox News days later that a reconciliation bill costing between $4 trillion and $6 trillion “seems to me just totally out of the ballpark.”