During Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) criticized the proposed reconciliation package.
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00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I move to strike the last word.
00:03You know, reading through this package, I was struck by how un-American it is,
00:09as un-American as arresting judges, trampling on our due process,
00:14deporting Americans, and terminating our federal workers.
00:18It is antithetical to the values of this country.
00:22We are essentially voting on a package that supports selling off citizenship
00:28to sometimes the least worthy while deporting babies with cancer,
00:34on top of cutting Medicaid, cutting Medicare, cutting Social Security,
00:39cutting access to baby formula, cutting food assistance for kids.
00:43And then there is this fertilizer bill, which I like to say,
00:48which will also support terminating federal workers, which includes Capitol Police.
00:54I can't tell you how many Capitol Police have come up to me and asked me
00:57how their job is at stake and what's going to happen to them.
01:01And I say, well, don't go ask a Republican,
01:03because they are throwing you to the wolves.
01:07You know, reading through this package, I think of Horatio Algiers,
01:11an American author who wrote about rags-to-riches stories,
01:15those from humble beginnings who made it here because of the opportunity in this country.
01:20And that is the basis of immigration.
01:23You come here. You do not have to have money.
01:25You do not have to have a name.
01:27You do not have to have influence.
01:28But you have to have drive and grit and ideas and a diversity of thought.
01:34That becomes the currency that makes this country strong, that makes us unique.
01:40And what are we doing here with this package instead?
01:42We are saying that we don't value that kind of person anymore.
01:46We don't value diversity or strength.
01:48We don't value grit.
01:49All we care about is your check.
01:52But I'm here to tell you that is not what makes a workforce strong.
01:55That is not what makes industry strong, school strong, this country strong.
02:00That is not a value system based on real merit.
02:05And instead of supporting innovators, earnest people with drive and ideas,
02:11like those immigrants that came here before us and helped make this country great,
02:15you are essentially saying that you're going to pay off citizenship to somebody who has the money to do so.
02:20They don't have to have any talent.
02:22They don't have to have any drive.
02:23They just have to have some kind of money in the bank.
02:27They don't have to be worthy.
02:29And to add some more duplicity to this fertilizer that we're going to be voting on today,
02:34Republicans talk so much about regulation, too much regulation.
02:39We need to deregulate the economy, the environment, our financial services,
02:44because so much regulation means less progress, less creativity, according to Republicans.
02:50But this here bill is about hyper-regulation, over-regulation.
02:54You're over-regulating how many people come here, who comes here, what they have to look like,
02:59how you kick them out, and not just undocumented folks, but Americans.
03:05Hey, now, because we're seeing that happen.
03:07So I guess you have to raise enough nickels, since he's getting rid of the pennies,
03:11to pay for the tax cuts that you are getting to the richest of the rich,
03:15on top of cutting Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare,
03:19things that people in my district care deeply about.
03:22And let me remind you that California has seven of the tenth highest enrollee districts in this country
03:30when it comes to Medicaid.
03:32And another thing.
03:33I know Republicans.
03:34I talk to Republicans.
03:35I have Republicans in my district.
03:37And real talk, there are many Republicans who have fallen in love with immigrants,
03:42who have married immigrants, who have hired and mentored and worked with immigrants.
03:49And not all of those folks, not all of those immigrants, were wealthy or came here with a big old dowry.
03:55But they came here with some drive, and they had ideas, and they had earnestness.
04:01Had enough for you to want to work with them, hire them, have ideas and dream ideas with them,
04:08fall in love with them, care about them.
04:11And how many of those folks would be allowed in this country today if this thing were in place?
04:16So let's just have some real talk when we are talking about voting on something that is un-American
04:24and antithetical to all of the values that we uphold, values that you would be upholding
04:30if the president were a Democrat instead of the one we have in office right now.
04:35So for these reasons and so many others, I will be opposing this bill.
04:41I yield back.
04:42General Lee yields back.
04:43I yield back.
04:45I yield back.
04:47I yield back.
04:50I yield back.
04:52And I yield back.
04:54I yield back.
04:55I yield back.
04:56Collect laissez-팍.
04:57Interpa recep.
04:58I yield back.
05:00I yield back.
05:02It's the same thing made.
05:03Just allocation of everything is different with this.
05:07And the team will make that, you know,
05:11place a dash of Denver.