Sessions: A vote for amnesty is a vote to lower wages of American workers

(Above: Sessions addresses Sens. Reid and Schumer’s immigration bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate)

Sen. Jeff Sessions took to the Senate floor this week to respond to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-Ill., who are once again pushing for the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Advocates of the bill have argued that it would boost the American economy. They also cite the fact that major business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Mark Zuckerberg’s FWD.us, support it as evidence that it would fuel job growth.

But Sessions has consistently asserted that their claims do not pass a simple test of common sense. This week he noted that his Senate colleagues are leaving out one important group who he believes are not in favor of the bill.

“There was one group of people not referenced when Majority Leader Reid and Senator Schumer talked earlier this morning,” Sessions said. “You know who it was? Completely omitted was the American worker. That’s who’s not being discussed in this debate.”

“You bring in 30 million people in the next 10 years, as this bill would do, tripling the number that would normally be given legal status in America, and it will bring down the per person wealth and it will bring down wages,” Sessions continued. “Surely the Chamber of Commerce understands the free market, do they not?”

Sessions recalled a conference call he was on earlier in the week during which they were discussing an influx of steal coming into the country. He then contrasted his Senate colleagues’ concerns over that with their lack of concern over a similar influx of immigrant labor.

“What is the impact of that? What is the concern? More steal, lower price for steel,” Sessions explained. “Bring in more cotton, lower price for cotton. Bring in more labor, you’re going to have lower wages for American workers. That’s what (the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office) told us. There’s no dispute about that. Yet we have senators go on this floor and repeatedly say that this is going to increase wages. Give me a break!… A vote for the Reid-Schumer immigration bill is a vote to lower the wages of American workers. Not only that, (it is a vote to make) it harder for Americans to get a job, period.”

Sessions closed his floor remarks by calling out Senate Democrats for letting their liberal ideology and special interest groups get in the way of what is best for the American people.

“I’m glad to talk about this issue, but we’re going to talk about what’s in the interest of the American people,” Sessions declared. “We’re not going to talk about your politics and your ideology and your special interests, we’re going to talk about what is good for America. And what’s good for America is to get more of our unemployed working, to get more wages to go up rather than down.”

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims