News - April 17, 2019 - by Ray Hagar

By Ray Hagar

Nevada Newsmakers

Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District Rep. Mark Amodei said on Nevada Newsmakers that Congress does nothing to solve the immigration problem because it's members care primarily about allegiance to their political parties.

"There are answers for immigration although many of them require a bit of wrestling like Dreamers, ag reform and visa reform," Amodei told host Sam Shad. "There are answers for that but both sides are so entrenched in their political security blankets that they won't do anything."

Amodei, R-Carson City, also said some Republicans worry about what will be said on Fox News. But he also was critical of the Democrats.

"They (Democrats) have to be the party that says, "We feel your pain,' or the (Republican) party (that says) I'm really tough on this stuff and I'm afraid of Laura Ingraham when she comes on at night. But you know what? If it is too big of a job for you, get the heck out of the way and send somebody who is willing to vote for something as opposed to hiding behind someone political apron strings."

Congressional leadership shares much of the responsibility for the inaction, said Amodei.

"I empathize with the President's frustration," he said. "But at the same time ... (in Congress) some of those leaders are mine, the

John Boehners, the Paul Ryans and the Mitch McConnells, you name it," Amodei said. "But its like, hey, we've done nothing. Just about nothing in the face of what is a huge issue."

Many other national issues could be solved if Congress would tackle immigration, Amodei said.

"You talk about school systems, Social Security, what about the service industry, what about those people that are skilled folks?" he asked. "(Yet) we continue to play politics with it and it is absolutely shameful."

Immigration has been a great failure of Congress for at least a decade, he said.

"Let's talk first about whose responsibility it is," he said. "It is Congress' responsibility. Congress has refused to act, for one reason or another, for at least the last 10 years. The last time something was done was 35 years ago, during the Reagan Administration. So I can understand any President (being frustrated). I think President Obama was frustrated with the Congress' inability for them to do something."

The current immigration issues stem from Central America, Amodei said, adding the Mexican government is building a middle class in their nation.

"I sit there and go, I see the pieces in the puzzle in all of this so when is somebody going to sit down and put them together?' (And they'll say) Oh, we can't do that because I have to be a good Democrat or I have to be a good Republican," he said.