The Senate Appropriations Committee this week approved an $80.4 billion supplemental spending bill to cover the costs of U.S. activities in Afghanistan and Iraq. But it did not include the provisions, approved in the House version of the bill, to tighten asylum laws, finish a border fence near San Diego and ban federal agencies from accepting driver's licenses issued by states that give driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
The Washington Times reported, meanwhile, that Sen. Larry Craig (R.-Idaho) is planning to offer an illegal-alien-amnesty amendment to the bill. This amendment, co-sponsored by Sen. Teddy Kennedy (D.-Mass.), would grant permanent legal U.S. residency to any illegal alien, and to the illegal alien's family, if the illegal alien could prove he had worked-albeit illegally-in the U.S. agricultural industry for a total of 100 days between February 2002 and August 2003. Craig, clearly fronting for his state's agricultural interests, said if he can't get his amendment attached to the supplemental, he would try to push it through later this year. Either way, a massive political battle is coming over amnesty for illegal aliens.
