Update: This week, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) out of committee, referring it favorably to the House floor. At this point, the bill does not include amnesty for illegal alien enlistees. However, during the mark-up, HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith offered the Denham ENLIST Act as an amendment, but withdrew it because the bill has a mandatory score and he did not have an offset. Meaning, any amendment that increases spending with out neutralizing the cost cannot be considered.
According to our sources, pro-amnesty forces are determined to see this through, so please continue to call and email your representatives and tell them to keep amnesty out of the NDAA! If your Senator is on the Senate Armed Services Committee, please call them at the number listed below or e-mail them to voice your concerns. The Senate mark-up will begin on Wednesday, May 21, 2014.
Keep Amnesty Out of Military Funding!
In a previous alert, we told you that House leaders have been looking for ways to include part of the amnesty agenda in must-pass legislation like the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which funds the Department of Defense. We know that members of House Leadership are determined to get this done, and we have reason to believe that either bill – the ENLIST Act or the Military Enlistment Opportunity Act – might be offered, or even worse, a hybrid of the two.Of course, the House is not the only potential source of amnesty legislation. There are reports that the Senate Armed Services Committee is also considering including the ENLIST Act or a similar measure in the Senate version of the NDAA.
If one of the enlistment amnesties is attached to defense funding, amnesty opponents will be forced to accept defeat or to vote against the entire NDAA, denying funding to the military. If amnesty supporters truly believe that their cause has widespread support, let them push for it as an independent bill, not in back-room dealings that use our troops as pawns.
- If either of your U.S. Senators is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, please email him or her with the provided talking points below. Senators who are not from your state can be reached by telephone.
- E-mail your U.S. House Member and tell him or her to vote no on any amnesty effort offered on the House floor as an amendment to the NDAA.
Below are the office numbers of the Senate Armed Services Committee Members. Please take a moment to call their office and ask them to oppose any backdoor efforts for legalization in the NDAA. Amnesty for illegal aliens has no place in a measure to fund our troops. Start with those in your home state or in bold. MAJORITY MEMBERS
Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman, 202-224-6221
Jack Reed (D-RI), 202-224-4642
Bill Nelson (D-FL), 202-224-5274
**Claire McCaskill (D-MO), 202-224-6154
Mark Udall (D-CO), 202-224-5941
**Kay Hagan (D-NC), 202-224-6342
**Joe Manchin (D-WV), 202-224-3954
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), 202-224-2841
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), 202-224-4451
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), 202-224-2823
**Joe Donnelly (D-IN), 202-224-4814
Mazie Hirono (D-HI), 202-224-6361
Tim Kaine (D-VA), 202-224-4024
Angus King (I-ME), 202-224-5344
MINORITY MEMBERS
James Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member, 202-224-4721
**John McCain (R-AZ), 202-224-2235
Jeff Sessions (R-AL), 202-224-4124
**Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), 202-224-3521
Roger Wicker (R-MS), 202-224-6253
**Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), 202-224-3324
Deb Fischer (R-NE), 202-224-6551
**Lindsey Graham (R-SC), 202-224-5972
David Vitter (R-LA), 202-224-4623
**Roy Blunt (R-MO), 202-224-5721
Mike Lee (R-UT), 202-224-5444
Ted Cruz (R-TX), 202-224-5922
Senate Armed Services Committee:
Please keep amnesty out of NDAA!
We urge you to oppose any effort to grant amnesty to military enlistees in the Senate markup of the National Defense Authorization Act.
If amnesty supporters truly believe the cause has widespread support, push for it as an independent bill not in back-room dealings that use our troops as pawns. It is shameful to use military funding to accomplish this unpopular legislative goal.
There is no place for amnesty in a measure to pay for our military. We urge you to stand against any measure to accomplish this goal in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Full House:
Please keep amnesty out of NDAA!
We urge you to oppose any bill or amendment granting amnesty to military enlistees, including the ENLIST Act, Military Enlistment Opportunity Act, or any other enlistment amnesty.
Amnesty has failed to gain traction in the House of Representatives, and it is shameful to use military funding to accomplish this unpopular legislative goal. There is no place for amnesty in a measure to pay for our military.
We urge you to stand against any form of amnesty in the National Defense Authorization Act.