Climate Change

Floor Speech

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Mr. PAUL. Since this will not be going through committee, we ought to, like you say, examine the legislation and think about what it involves. I think having a few commonsense amendments would make sense.

It is about 200,000 or 270,000 Venezuelans. I think we can accommodate them. We are a big, great country, and America has room for them. We should make sure, though, that they don't overburden the welfare system, and there should be rules that people, as part of this program, do not come to the country to receive welfare. That is my first amendment.

My second amendment would say that at the end of the 18-month period, Congress should vote on whether or not to extend the period. In the past, we have granted this temporary status, and it has been renewed decade after decade and become just sort of this lost zone for people for whom we can't figure out a permanent solution.

My third amendment would actually create an ability to absorb more people in our country and would be more of a permanent solution. My third amendment is called the BELIEVE Act, and it is a bill that I have had out there for several years. What it would do is to take the merit- based employment in our country, employment-based visas, and double these visas. So, if you want to accommodate the 200-some-odd thousand Venezuelans, we need more green cards, ultimately, for permanent status. This would be increased employment-based visas.

So, my unanimous consent request would be to pass your bill with these three amendments: One, to prohibit welfare; two, to make it Congress's prerogative to decide that this term needs to be extended and it would have to be a vote by this body; and then the third thing would be that we expand our employment-based visas in order to accommodate folks like this in our country.

I would ask unanimous consent that your bill be passed, and, also, including my three amendments to the bill, and at this point, I ask unanimous consent for that.

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Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I voice my objection to the original motion of Senator Menendez.

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