Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

Senate Votes for a Fence

A path to earned citizenship is still alive, but given Rep. Sensenbrenner's
vitriol, who knows if anything will get done. I'm still waiting for the target employers provision, including funding. Want to take bets when that will happen?

Lots of Democrats voted
for the 370 mile fence, which will cost over $900 million. Here they are, with
likely presidential hopefuls in bold: Bayh (D-IN), Biden
(D-DE), Boxer (D-CA), Byrd (D-WV), Carper (D-DE), Clinton (D-NY),
Conrad (D-ND), Dayton (D-MN), Dorgan (D-ND), Feinstein (D-CA), Harkin (D-IA),
Johnson (D-SD), Kerry (D-MA), Kohl (D-WI), Landrieu (D-LA),
Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), Lincoln (D-AR), Mikulski (D-MD), Nelson (D-FL),
Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Reid (D-NV), Salazar (D-CO), Schumer
(D-NY), Stabenow (D-MI), Wyden (D-OR).

Democrats against the fence: Akaka (D-HI), Bingaman (D-NM), Cantwell (D-WA),
Dodd (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Inouye (D-HI),
Jeffords (I-VT), Kennedy (D-MA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Lieberman (D-CT), Menendez
(D-NJ), Murray (D-WA), Obama (D-IL), Reed (D-RI), Sarbanes (D-MD).

Senator Vitter of Louisiana (R) tried to keep the citizenship portion out but
he lost. Things got testy.

The Senate agreed to give millions of illegal immigrants a shot at U.S. citizenship and backed construction of 370 miles of triple-layered fencing along the Mexican border Wednesday, but prospects for legislation clearing Congress were clouded by a withering attack against President Bush by a prominent House Republican. \”Regardless of what the president says, what he is proposing is amnesty,\” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. the lawmaker who would lead House negotiators in any attempt to draft a compromise immigration bill later this year. The blast by Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, came on the day the White House dispatched top presidential aide Karl Rove to ease the concerns of rebellious House Republicans, and also coincided with a clash among GOP senators on the Senate floor. \”This is not amnesty, so let's get the terms right,\” Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record) of Nebraska lectured fellow Republicans who condemned the bill. \”Come on. Let's stop the nonsense.\” Senate OKs Border Fence, Backs Citizenship