A group of House Democrats is begging Vice President Kamala Harris, as the presiding officer of the United States Senate, to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian and include an amnesty for at least eight million illegal aliens in a filibuster-proof budget reconciliation package.
Twice, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has shot down the Democrats’ amnesty plans — one that would have given green cards to millions of illegal aliens and another that would have moved a registry date in federal statute to give amnesty to about seven million illegal aliens.
Since then, Senate Democrats have suggested they include a parole-style amnesty in their trillion-dollar budget reconciliation package that would effectively allow about 7.1 million illegal aliens to avoid being deported from the U.S.
A number of House Democrats are seemingly displeased with the parole-style amnesty, continuing to favor a more expansive amnesty that immediately delivers green cards to illegal aliens.
Fourty-four House Democrats wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), arguing that it is up to Harris to ensure amnesty is included in the reconciliation package:
We write to you today to express our concern regarding the Senate Parliamentarian’s memorandum, which dismisses the budgetary impact of providing a pathway to citizenship for eight million people. As you know, the role of the Parliamentarian is an advisory one, and the opinion of the Parliamentarian is not binding. [Emphasis added]
It is our understanding that according to 2 U.S.C. § 644, the Senate’s Presiding Officer has the ability to issue a binding ruling on a parliamentary point of order. In the reconciliation context, any appeal of the Presiding Officer’s binding ruling would require a supermajority to be sustained. After the ruling, the Senate would be able to consider a reconciliation bill that includes the immigration language that the Parliamentarian advised was in violation of the Byrd Rule. This authority has been invoked previously; therefore, there is precedent of the Presiding Officer disregarding the opinion of the Senate Parliamentarian. [Emphasis added]
In denying any possible pathway to citizenship or lawful permanent residents (LPRs) status, the Parliamentarian, an unelected official, is denying the economic impact of such legislation and the tributes that millions of undocumented individuals have paid to this country. [Emphasis added]
This is a critical moment for our nation’s history, and we strongly urge the Presiding Officer to use their authority to disregard the Senate Parliamentarian’s ruling. [Emphasis added]
Harris has faced enormous pressure in recent weeks to get an amnesty for illegal aliens through Congress.
Last week, for instance, illegal aliens and open borders activists protested outside of Harris’s residence in Washington, D.C., begging her to use her authority in the Senate to include amnesty in a reconciliation package.
“We need her to act now, not to come up with excuses. Not to tell us it’s not the right time,” an activist said.
Previously, a group of House Democrats said it would be “morally reprehensible” if Harris did not ensure that an amnesty was slipped into the reconciliation package. Likewise, law professors have written a letter to Harris, begging her to ignore MacDonough and include an amnesty.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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