09.19.21

Graham Statement on Parliamentarian’s Guidance on Democrats’ Plan to Grant Legal Status to Illegal Immigrants in $3.5 Trillion Tax and Spend Plan

WASHINGTON – Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on the Senate Parliamentarian’s guidance that will not allow Democrats’ to grant legal status to illegal immigrants in their massive tax and spend bill.

“I’m very glad to hear that the Parliamentarian provided guidance to the Senate that granting legal status to illegal immigrants is not a proper use of the reconciliation process.

“Having worked on several comprehensive immigration reform bills, I believe that using the reconciliation process to provide legal status to illegal immigrants would be a disaster. It would have led to an increased run on the border – beyond the chaos we already have there today.

“It would be a terrible idea to provide legal status before we secure the border and reform the immigration process which is currently being abused.

“The Parliamentarian’s guidance reinforces long held traditions of the Senate that major policy changes should be done collaboratively and not through the reconciliation process. This decision reinforces the fact that the Senate is truly different than the House.”

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