Sens. Nelson and Baucus Block E-Verify Amendment

On Feb. 9, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) attempted to offer his E-Verify amendment (SA 239) to the economic stimulus package, but Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) prevented him from doing so. SA 239 would have required all businesses and localities that receive stimulus money to use the E-Verify employment verification system. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who had earlier supported Sen. Sessions’ efforts to mandate E-Verify for stimulus recipients, did not support Sen. Sessions’ attempt to force the Senate to vote on SA 239. In fact, Sen. Nelson moved to end all debate on the economic stimulus package.

Senators subsequently voted 61-36 to cut off debate on the amendment containing the “compromise” Stimulus deal. While that deal secured enough votes for Senate passage, it does not include E-Verify protections for Stimulus jobs. NumbersUSA learned that Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) had pledged this afternoon that they would have used their veto power under special procedures to block E-Verify if Baucus had not.

“At the moment, I am inclined to hold every Senator but Sen. Sessions responsible for this incredible affront to unemployed American workers, ” said Roy Beck, NumbersUSA President. “Even Senators who support E-Verify did not speak on the floor or to the media to draw attention to the terrible injustice of using perhaps 10% of the Stimulus money to hire illegal foreign workers instead of unemployed Americans and authorized immigrants already here.”

While it is difficult to believe that Senate leaders might insist that illegal aliens have the same chance at new Stimulus jobs as unemployed Americans, this scenario is now at hand. A vote on final passage is scheduled at Noon today.

Go to your Action Buffet and send a free fax to tell your Senators how disappointed/angry/baffled you are at their refusal to consider the E-Verify provisions.

There is some good news to report. On Feb. 6, Senators adopted an amendment (SA 306) sponsored by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would to bar bailed-out banks from hiring foreign workers, for just one year. Their measure was prompted by an Associated Press investigation that revealed how banks receiving the most federal aid had requested visas for thousands of foreign workers even as they laid off employees during the economic downturn.