Sen. Sessions: Time for GOP to Tell Amnesty's Special Interests 'Get Lost'

Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a key figure in fighting against amnesty, said on Wednesday in response to House Speaker John Boehner’s move to kill the Senate’s amnesty bill that it is a “positive development” for the country.

“Today’s announcement is an important and positive development for our nation, our people, and the Republican party,” Sessions said in response to Boehner’s promise there would never be a conference committee between the House and Senate on the “Gang of Eight” bill. “House Republicans are resisting an influence campaign and standing for the interests of the American people.”

Sessions added that House Republicans and the GOP as a whole must beware of the special interests.

“But a word of caution: the groups pushing for Gang of Eight-style legislation are well-financed and very powerful,” Sessions said. “The Gang of Eight bill’s fatal flaw was always that it answered to the special interests at the expense of the national interest.” 

“Arguably the single most destructive feature of the Senate’s immigration bill was the massive permanent surge in low-skill immigration that would reduce wages and increase unemployment,” he continued. “The White House and Senate Democrats shamelessly coordinated with a small cadre of CEOs to pressure House Republicans to yield.”

Sessions said it is time for the party to eradicate special interests from spheres of influence.

“It’s time for Republicans to tell these special interests to get lost and to be the one party that will defend the interests of the millions of low-wage Americans looking for better jobs and better wages,” he said. “This is the moment for a vision to emerge centered on growth and prosperity for working Americans–not just the powerful and well-connected.”