Urge Speaker Boehner to bring up CIR for a Vote

From Congressman Bill Foster

Last week, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, Congressman Brad Schneider and I spoke at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce to discuss the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

In July the Senate passed a bipartisan bill with overwhelming support, but Republican House Speaker John Boehner is still refusing to bring the Senate bill – or any bill that addresses the core problem of providing a tough but fair path to citizenship – to the floor of the House for a vote.

But even as Congress grapples with the crucial issues of Syria and averting a government shutdown or default, we cannot let this historic opportunity fall to the wayside.

Can you join Congresswoman Duckworth, Congressman Schneider and me and sign this petition calling for Speaker Boehner to bring comprehensive immigration reform up for a vote by clicking here?

There are many reasons to address our broken immigration system. It’s the right thing to do, both morally and for the economic health of our country:

• According to the CBO, enacting the Senate immigration bill will increase real GDP by 5.4 percent in 2033 – an increase of roughly $1.4 trillion.
• More than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. These American companies represent 7 of the 10 most valuable brands globally, and collectively employ more than 10 million people and generate annual revenue of $4.2 trillion.
• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Illinois, the state would lose $25.6 billion in economic activity, $11.4 billion in gross state product, and approximately 120,000 jobs.

Even with incontrovertible facts like these, as well as a bipartisan majority of the American people calling for reform, Republican House Leadership still refuses to bring this bill to the floor.

Join us in telling Speaker Boehner that the time is now to take action and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Thank you for everything that you do, and we’ll keep you updated on the progress we’re able to make.

–Bill

P.S. Click here to tell Speaker Boehner that we need to fix our broken immigration system and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

bh