Senator David Perdue: We’re One Step Closer To Getting Tax Done This Year

Politics, State & National

Senator David Perdue: We’re One Step Closer To Getting Tax Done This Year

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate moved one step closer to fixing our tax code this year:

“Let’s be very clear. This budget is a sham and the entire budget process is a fraud being perpetrated on the American people. Only four times in the past 43 years has the budget process fully worked to fund the government on time. The only reason we’re even doing the budget like this is to get tax done this year.

“In the middle of the dog-and-pony show tonight there was a glimmer of hope. Senator Whitehouse and I teamed up to author a bipartisan amendment to acknowledge our frustration with the budget process and the need to fix it. The U.S. Senate agreed unanimously that the budget process is broken. Getting the entire U.S. Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, to acknowledge the futility of the current budget process and the political side shows that come with it, is a step in the right direction. We need to fix this.

“It is all related. In order for the federal government to have the ability to act on our national priorities, we must solve the debt crisis. To solve the debt crisis, we have to fix our budget process. Job one is getting the economy going, and the economy will move if we get this tax deal done. It’s as simple as that.”

The U.S. Senate unanimously agreed by a voice vote to Senator Perdue’s bipartisan amendment with Senator Whitehouse that acknowledges Congress’ broken budget process (Perdue 1167).

Senator David Perdue Recaps This Year’s Results, Previews 2018 on Fox News

State & National

Senator David Perdue Recaps This Year’s Results, Previews 2018 on Fox News

 

ATLANTA, GA – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) spoke with Mike Emanuel on Fox News’ Special Report about President Trump’s significant accomplishments during his first year in office and the priorities heading into 2018.

Delivering Results: “President Trump laid out four agenda items this year. We accomplished most of them. President Trump wants to continue to get results. The economy is going to move now that we started regulatory work and with the tax bill we just passed.”

Early Success: “The President is working diligently to get ready for 2018, but he is very happy with the results of 2017. His first year in office we saw 2 million new jobs created, 860 rules and regulations being reversed, illegal crossings down 60%, 500 people have been fired at the Veterans Administration for non-performance. The President is very excited about the future of our country now that we’re moving to get the economy going again.”

Business Focus: “We have a business guy in the White House for a change. He is moving at a business place, not a bureaucratic pace. Look, 2018 is an election year, but we have different leadership in the White House. He is not going to waive off his priorities for an election process.”

Immigration Solution: “President Trump, Senator Tom Cotton, and I have been consistently saying that any solution for DACA has to include an end to this archaic chain migration and money for border security and the wall at our southern border.”

Helping American Workers: “That’s what’s wrong with Washington, career politicians don’t understand how the free enterprise system works. The best thing we can do for the American worker, the American consumer, for anyone who works in America is to help our businesses, large and small, become competitive again with the rest of the world.”

Breaking The Gridlock: “The problem in Washington is gridlock. The minority party is causing that right now, but there are signs of encouragement. Frankly, the immigration issue is one that should have a bipartisan solution. We believe we can do that early in the new year. The President is going to keep focused on that as we get back to work next week.”

Senator David Perdue Addresses Local Elected Officials At White House

State & National

Senator David Perdue Addresses Local Elected Officials At White House

“Georgia is leading the way”

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), Vice President Mike Pence, and senior Trump Administration officials joined Georgia county commissioners and state legislators at a White House event this week highlighting how Georgia is leading at the national level to help influence and shape major policy decisions impacting the people of Georgia and our country.

Highlights:

Best State For Business: “This is the fifth year in a row that Georgia has been named the best state in the country in which to do business. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because we’re business friendly. We have great people and great workers, and we have state legislators that are from the real world – people who come for 40 or 45 days and then go home to their businesses or professions to make a living for their family. I believe that keeps you in direct contact with what’s important.”

Leading The Way: “I want to highlight a few Georgians who are serving in this Administration: our former governor, Sonny Perdue, is doing a great job as Secretary of Agriculture; Nick Ayers is the Vice President’s Chief of Staff; Billy Kirkland is Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the White House. Tom Graves and Doug Collins are in different forms of leadership in the House. Johnny Isakson is leading the charge for our veterans. Zippy Duvall is President of the Farm Bureau and making a big difference. Chris Wray is our FBI Director. Ashley Bell is Director of External Affairs for the Peace Corps. Major General Bob McMahon from Warner Robins is an Assistant Secretary of Defense, and we’ve nominated and confirmed several U.S. attorneys and federal judges from Georgia.”

Making A Serious Impact: “Many of the people you’ve heard from today have Georgia roots. It’s clear that the state of Georgia is hitting way above our weight class. We’re the eighth largest state in the country population wise and we’re making a serious impact up here.”

Senator Perdue and Vice President Pence were joined by several Georgia natives serving in the Trump administration, including Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue; Vice President Pence’s Chief of Staff, Nick Ayers; and White House Intergovernmental Affairs Deputy Director, Billy Kirkland. Representatives from the Small Business Administration, Departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Energy and Education, and Housing and Urban Development also addressed the group.

Senator David Perdue Announces Bipartisan Agreement To Reduce Dodd-Frank Regulations

State & National

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) and 17 members on the Senate Banking Committee have drafted a bipartisan proposal to roll back significant portions of the Dodd-Frank Act, providing regulatory relief for Georgia’s community banks, credit unions, mid-sized banks, regional banks, and custody banks, none of whom contributed to the financial crisis of 2008. The proposal also improves important consumer protections, particularly for veterans, senior citizens, and victims of fraud.

“This is a huge win for our rural communities, small businesses, and the banks supporting them,” said Senator David Perdue. “This proposal will improve access to capital for small businesses, particularly in Georgia’s rural communities who have struggled with overregulation. In addition to this proposal, there is still work to be done. We will continue working with Secretary Mnuchin and the Trump Administration to eliminate even more regulations for consumers and business.”

“We appreciate the hard work of Senator David Perdue on behalf of the bankers and consumers in Georgia,” said Joe Brannen, President & CEO of the Georgia Bankers Association. “We are more hopeful that true relief can be accomplished in the near future so that Georgia bankers can continue to serve their communities in even more meaningful ways.”

Last spring, the Senate Banking Committee issued a request for legislative proposals from stakeholders, companies, and consumers aimed at creating economic growth. The committee then held a series of hearings exploring these ideas and has been drafting this proposal since that time. Democrats agreed that significant regulations of Dodd-Frank were negatively impacting local economics across the nation and joined Republicans in drafting this proposal.

Three key bills sponsored by Senator Perdue are included in this agreement: the Reciprocal Deposits Bill, the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act, and the PROTECT Act, which simplifies the credit freezing process. View the proposal’s text here and a summary here.

Highlights of the bipartisan package include:

  • Improves consumer access to mortgage credit;
  • Provides regulatory relief for small financial institutions and protects consumer access to credit;
  • Provides specific protections for veterans, consumers and homeowners; and
  • Tailors regulations for banks to better reflect their business models.

Senator David Perdue Comments On Confirmation Of President Trump’s Judicial Nominees

State & National

Senator David Perdue Comments On Confirmation Of President Trump’s Judicial Nominees

“These judges will help shape the direction of the courts for years to come.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) comments on the United States Senate’s work to confirm President Trump’s judicial nominees:

“The United States Senate has been stalled by historic obstruction from Senate Democrats. Despite this partisan gridlock, we confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court earlier this year, and have since confirmed 15 judicial nominees, including eight judges to the powerful United States Circuit Courts. These judges will help shape the direction of the courts for years to come. Unlike most things in Washington, we are moving quickly to get more judges in place. By comparison, in Obama’s first year in office, only three Circuit Court judges were confirmed. While we are making significant progress, there is still a lot more work to be done. President Trump has been in office for 10 months now and still doesn’t have his full team in place. Washington needs to pick up the pace and get all of President Trump’s nominees confirmed as quickly as possible.”

Background:

  • 16 judges confirmed this year, including Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch.
  • judges confirmed to the powerful United States Circuit Courts.
  • district judges confirmed.
  • 3 judges confirmed to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
  • There are 15 district and circuit court judges pending on the executive calendar.
  • The oldest judicial nomination on the executive calendar is 113 days.
  • There are 39 judges still pending in the Judiciary Committee.
  • There are currently 145 federal judge vacancies that the Senate will confirm.

Senator David Perdue Talks Tax On CNBC

State & National

Senator David Perdue Talks Tax On CNBC

“The only reason we’re doing the budget like this, 18 days after the beginning of our fiscal year, is to get tax done this year.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) spoke with Joe Kernen on CNBC’s Squawk Box about why the budget process is a sham and should be viewed as merely a way to fix our tax code this year.

A Total Sham: “Let’s be very clear. This budget is a sham. It’s a fraud that’s been perpetrated for the last 43 years since the Budget Act of 1974. The only reason we’re doing the budget like this, 18 days after the beginning of our fiscal year, is to get to a vehicle to get tax done this year.”

Budget Is Not A Law: “This is a resolution. It has nothing to do with how we’ll fund the government. Congress already passed a short-term spending deal that got us past the end of the fiscal year. Sometime between now and December 8th, six people will get in a room and decide how to spend over $1 trillion, and the rest of us will get an up or down vote on that.”

Getting To Tax: “I’m very confident we’ll get this budget done because the only reason we’re doing it this way is to get to the tax deal, which all of us are anxious to pass.”

Making America More Competitive: “Consumer confidence is at a 16-year high and over 800 regulations have already been reversed this year. Now we have the anticipation of passing this tax deal that will actually help our corporations and our workers become competitive with the rest of the world again.”

Funding The Military: “My argument is if you want to fund the military long-term, you better solve the debt crisis. To solve the debt crisis, we have to get after our budget process. If you really want to solve our funding issues, you better get the economy going, and the economy will move if we get this tax deal done. It’s just as simple as that.”

Helping American Workers: “We’ve got to lower the corporate tax rate, which is an onerous tax on American workers. It puts our workers at a disadvantage with the rest of the world. In 1986, the last time Congress took any measured change in the tax law, we had one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world. Today we have the highest in the OECD. We are also one of the last countries to have a repatriation tax. There are also some $2 trillion of U.S. profits stuck overseas. Fixing those things alone will stimulate this economy.”

Senator David Perdue Applauds President Trump’s Move To Increase Access To Insurance

Politics, State & National

Senator David Perdue Applauds President Trump’s Move To Increase Access To Insurance  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) comments on President Trump’s action today to provide Americans’ relief from Obamacare:

“President Trump has proven once again he is willing to take bold action, even when Congress won’t. This action today will bring relief to the millions of Americans unable to obtain affordable health insurance because of Obamacare. This law is collapsing under its own weight and hurting millions of Americans. It needs to be fully repealed. In the meantime, I applaud the President’s courage to take action and support this move emphatically.”

Senator David Perdue Comments On Debt Surpassing $20 Trillion

Politics, State & National

Senator David Perdue Discusses Immigration Latest On Fox News & ABC

State & National

Senator David Perdue Discusses Immigration Latest On Fox News & ABC

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) spoke with Trish Regan on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures and George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week about recent meetings at the White House to fix the legal immigration system.

Highlights from Sunday Morning Futures

Negotiating A Deal: “The President has been very clear that any solution to DACA must include border security, including the wall, an end to chain migration, and an end to the visa lottery. Last week, we had two meetings at the White House. President Trump is very engaged on this issue, just like he was on tax. I’m hopeful we can get symmetry in this negotiation. In my business experience, that’s how you get to a deal and I still think there is a possibility to do that.”

Double Talk From Democrats: “It’s a gross distraction from the issue. Senators Schumer and Durbin both talked about ending parts of chain migration on the Senate floor. We’re doing things that the Democrats have voted for and have supported in the past. Under Bill Clinton in the 90s, we had a Presidential Commission actually recommend limiting chain migration and recommend moving to a merit-based immigration system based on who you are and not where you are from. The problem now is politics. That’s what’s so frustrating to all of us.”

Focusing The Scope: “Congress has failed three times in the last 11 years to fix the immigration system because they’ve been too comprehensive and tried to solve the legal problem, the temporary work visa problem, and the illegal immigration problem at the same time. What we’re doing now is limiting this debate to just the legal immigration system and I believe we can get to a solution.”

President’s Agenda Is Working: “If this were any other president getting the results that we’re getting right now in the economy, we would be crowing about the results. Two million new jobs created last year, 860 rules and regulations pulled back, 500 bureaucrats fired at the VA for non-performance, 300 fired in the Department of Education, consumer confidence is at a 17-year high, CEO confidence is at a 20-year high, 123 companies decided to give year-end bonuses because of our action on tax. This economy is beginning to move and what we have to do now is focus on immigration, infrastructure, and trade to keep moving the economy forward.”

Responding To Hawaii: “I don’t know the details of that yet, but it just heightens the fact that somebody made a mistake somewhere. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I can assure you that we’ll get to the bottom of that.”

Highlights from This Week

Solving DACA: “The problem is Washington career politicians who just want to pander to their base. What we have right now is a gross misrepresentation of a meeting from Thursday. Two days earlier, the President held an hour-long open meeting with the media where Democrats and Republicans from both the House and Senate debated the issue. We want to solve the DACA problem. We want border security with a wall. We want to end chain migration and the visa lottery. That’s the scope we all agreed on Tuesday.”

Record Of Misrepresenting: “In 2013, Senator Durbin made the same allegation against a Republican leader in a meeting with President Obama, saying he chewed out the president and that this Republican leader was so disrespectful to President Obama they couldn’t even have the meeting. That’s what he said that in 2013. Later that day, President Obama’s own press secretary came out and said, ‘it did not happen.’ This is about a gross misrepresentation, and it’s not the first time.”

Current Negotiation Parameters: “We’re focusing on four things. The President has been consistent all along about what he wants in an immigration deal. I have been consistent. Senator Cotton has been consistent. Any deal on DACA has to include border security, including a wall, and the end to chain migration. That’s been consistent for the past year.”

Senator David Perdue: This Is The Capstone On A Very Successful Year

State & National

Senator David Perdue: This Is The Capstone On A Very Successful Year

“I believe a lot of people woke up this morning and realized America is back in business again”

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) joined Bloomberg TV’s What’d You Miss to discuss the historic changes to the tax code that have been sent to President Trump’s desk to provide relief to middle-class families and make America more competitive again.

 

A Year Of Accomplishments: “This is the capstone on a very successful year of the Trump Administration. President Trump said job one was getting the economy going. He pulled back 860 rules and regulations, released our energy potential and now we have these historic tax cuts. This tax plan is going to bring relief to working men and women and make American businesses more competitive again around the world.”

Proof Is In The Results: “From before the plan was even finalized, you’ve had messaging from the other side with many points of misinformation. The real tell-tale sign here is when Americans get their paychecks in February and when they see jobs created. They’re going to see the impact of this bill. The person who is going to benefit the most from this is the person that gets a job. Americans will begin to see the reality and we’re going to continue to tell the truth about what we just did.”

Combating Misinformation: “The misinformation out there can be corrected with a few simple facts. A family of four making the median income of $73,000 will see a 60% tax cut. A working mother, making the median income of $41,000 will see a 75% tax cut in this bill. These will be proven as this plan goes into effect.”

Back In Business: “We are making American businesses competitive with the rest of the world. I believe a lot of people woke up this morning and realized America is back in business again. I give President Trump and his Administration all the credit for that.”

Growing Confidence: “You’re going to see many more examples of corporate confidence. Right now, CEO confidence is at a 20 year high. Not only that, consumer confidence is at 16 year high because Americans believe President Trump was listening to them in last year’s election and is delivering on his promises. I believe the American people responded very strongly to that.”

Senator David Perdue Holds Farm Bill Round Table Discussion

State & National

Senator David Perdue Holds Farm Bill Round Table Discussion

ATLANTA, GA – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) last week held a round table discussion about the upcoming farm bill with Georgia farmers and industry leaders.

“Agriculture is one of Georgia’s largest economic drivers and a way of life for many people in our state. I saw this firsthand while working on my family’s farm as a teenager,” said Senator Perdue. “It was great to hear from Georgia farmers and industry leaders about their priorities for the upcoming farm bill since this legislation impacts them directly. Their input is critical as we work toward developing a farm bill that will contribute to a safer, stronger, and more abundant agricultural industry.”

Short Takes – Abdication

Opinion

Abdication

The decline of America’s two political parties is not a surprise. They have cheated America’s voters leaving them searching for Constitutional alternatives. The GOP’s abdication of its conservative principles presents a signal problem that can no longer be ignored; problems that voters saw coming and attempted to fix in 2012, 2014 and 2016, without success, is evidence enough that the GOP is broken and represents nobody except themselves. They don’t want to do anything lest they rock the boat and lose favor with their money suppliers and the media. The GOP has clearly abdicated its role as America’s conservative party. In other words, there isn’t one any more. They GOP elites didn’t get the message.

The Marxist controlled Democrat party holds no effective power in government except to act as obstructionists. Their leadership is composed of geriatric, old Marxists and Progressives, products of the 1960’s anti-Vietnam war era, still searching for the magic formula that will enable them to complete their socialization America, interrupted by Donald Trump. Count them gone.

For Conservatives, the Republican party has long claimed they held the key to salvation until we learned, and are still learning, that they are in fact liars, cheats and shills for big government and the cash that flows from it. There are some serious exceptions like David Perdue, Tom Cotton, Mike Lee and maybe even Tom Cruz. The party has more than its share of treacherous villains like the unprincipled John McCain and feckless leftist, Susan Collins among others, who join the Democrats in obstructing the Conservative agenda, that Donald Trump seized and gave voice to the deep concerns of many Americans about the direction the socialists were taking America.

How do we solve the problem? A new party? Nope!  No matter what it’s called a new party will simply not work. The Libertarians have been out there for years and have not advanced above the popularity level they first achieved since the beginning. I agree they are Constitutional conservatives, with exceptions, and it’s those exceptions that have them stalled in third place.

The only course available for conservative Republicans, independents and Democrats alarmed at the deceit of the Ruling Caste, is to replace the old GOP, member by member, in primary challenges by conservative candidates until the whole rotten GOP house of cards collapses.  

Why? Because that’s where the money is. That’s where the donations come to, that’s the crucible of corruption, that’s the seat of power and that’s the swamp Trump wants to drain. It must be done and it can’t be done from outside. The formation of new parties with their petty individual demands, would turn America into a squabbling cacophony of incompetent, third rate politicians, a mirror image example of the socialist European Union, especially Germany.  

Conservative Americans want a return of their personal liberty and respect for their individual achievements. The GOP is not giving it, but Trump is. He has identified several issues that will restore those lost liberties: eliminating Obama’s regulatory state, cutting taxes, creating jobs, enforcing immigration laws, and attempting to fix the Republican healthcare fiasco. Trump is trying to reshape policy in these areas, as Americans want. Apparently the GOP won’t help but insist that they, acting as our ruling class, are too important to be removed.

Trump’s success will positively impact America for generations to come. Can there be a constitutional renewal in America? Not if our betters have anything to say about it. It’s time to replace them. We can start by re registering as Independents. Remember, freedom is the goal, the Constitution is the way. Now, go get ‘em! (25Sep17)

Senator David Perdue: Making U.S. Companies More Competitive Is A Top Priority

Politics, State & National

Senator David Perdue talks tax, immigration on Kudlow radio show

Politics, Press Release

 

Senator David Perdue Talks Tax & Immigration On Kudlow Radio Show

“President Trump has been instinctively in line with the American people on immigration all along”

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) joined Larry Kudlow on The Larry Kudlow Show to discuss how President Trump’s agenda has been instinctively in line with the American people, particularly on tax and immigration.

 

Starting Point: “A year ago, Tom Cotton and I started the conversation about fixing our legal immigration system, when we introduced the RAISE Act. This would move us to a merit-based immigration system, similar to that of Canada and Australia.”

 

Brilliant Move: “President Trump issued a brilliant framework for an immigration middle ground. I think he has been instinctively in line with the American people on immigration all along. Two-thirds of America want a DACA solution, but only if you provide for border security with a wall, end chain migration, and end the visa lottery.”

 

Real Opportunity: “When will conservatives ever have this kind of opportunity to solve the causes of the immigration problems we have now, including ending chain migration? Also, if Democrats are serious about solving DACA, how can they be against this reasonable solution the President laid out?”

 

Americans Agree: “Chuck Schumer offered up $25 billion for a wall. That tells me that Democrats are now admitting Americans want border security. They are seeing these polls showing that up to 80% of Americans want a wall. They know we need border security. President Trump isn’t going to give in on that point.”

 

Providing Certainty: “The President has done the right thing and put this back in the lap of Congress, which is where it should have been. President Obama just kicked the can down the road by providing temporary status. President Trump has said he’ll offer certainty for the DACA recipients.”

 

Solving Underlying Problem: “We want to ensure we aren’t back here in five years with the same problem. To do that we have to secure the border with a wall, end chain migration, and eliminate the outdated visa lottery.”

 

Economy Responding: “The more people and American companies we see responding positively to the tax bill, the more this is a generational change that will be simulative for our economy.”

 

Tremendous Impact: “We’ve had eight years of the federal government with its boot on the neck of small businesses with overregulation and policies that were anti-business. When you take that off, that has a tremendous impact.”

 

Assuring Our Allies: “Around the world they see an America reengaging after 8 years of disengagement. In Davos, President Trump said, ‘America first doesn’t mean America alone.’ I think that is sending a strong message to our allies and others around the world.”

 

 

Senator Perdue is the only Fortune 500 CEO in Congress and is serving his first term in the United States Senate, where he represents Georgia on the Armed Services, Banking, Budget, and Agriculture Committees.

Senator David Perdue Discusses President Trump’s Asia Trip On CNN

State & National

Senator David Perdue Discusses President Trump’s Asia Trip On CNN

“President Trump has developed a consensus of support on North Korea and opening doors for a non-kinetic solution. We have to find a way to get through here.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke with Alisyn Camerota on CNN’s New Day about the recent tragedy in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and President Trump’s trip to Asia aimed at strengthening partnerships with these countries to denuclearize North Korea.

 

Answers From Air Force: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families in Texas, like they did in Nevada and earlier events. We want some answers. I agree with Senator McCain. We ought to find out what happened in the Air Force and why this information was not fed into the database. There are things we need to know and learn from.”

Non-Kinetic Solutions: “First of all this is a President engaging with the rest of the world after eight years of disengagement. He has developed a consensus of support on North Korea and opening doors for a non-kinetic solution. We have to find a way to get through here.”

Direct Talks With North Korea: “President Trump has intimated both publicly and privately that this would be in the cards. I’m convinced, though, that this is in the best interest of China and the United States to get together and find a common solution. I’m also excited that President Trump is intimating that he wants to talk to President Putin about this as well. Russia plays a major part in this.”

Senator David Perdue: Iran Is Third Largest Diversity Lottery Visa Recipient

Politics, State & National

Senator David Perdue: Iran Is Third Largest Diversity Lottery Visa Recipient

“The RAISE Act would eliminate the Diversity Visa Lottery and move us to a merit-based immigration system”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) spoke with Laura Ingraham on Fox News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle about how the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, would create a merit-based immigration system and eliminate the outdated Diversity Visa Lottery.

 

Merit-Based System: “President Trump called this out last year and I give him high marks. This year he is backing our RAISE Act that Tom Cotton and I put forward. He talked about it today. We want to go to a merit-based immigration system.”

Plagued With Fraud: “Let’s talk about this Diversity Visa Lottery. This is a big fraud. It is fraught with fraud itself. It has social security fraud. It has identity fraud.”

National Security Issue: “Worse than that, 30% of the visas given out under this system go to countries that have been identified by ICE as harboring and promoting terrorism. In fact, the third largest recipient country for these visas is Iran. This is an insidious program. It needs to go away tonight.”

Finding Common Ground: “What we want to do in a merit-based system is eliminate chain migration. This is based on the same conclusion that the Democrats came to under Bill Clinton. President Bush created a commission to look at immigration. They suggested a merit-based system and Bill Clinton supported it. This should be a bipartisan approach to this problem.”

Proven To Work: “Most countries have already moved to protect their borders, their national security, and to provide for their economic growth and they do that within the immigration system. Canada and Australia did this decades ago. They went to a merit-based system where they bring the right kind of people in today relative to the economy and we don’t. We have a family based chain migration system that has got to end.”

Growing The Economy: “This is the biggest difference since 1990 and the Senator Ted Kennedy idea. If you look at our historical immigration, they came in, assimilated into the community, they learned English, they developed the skills, and they contributed to the economy. What we have going today is this politically correct idea that calls for an open border.”

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