"I am pleased that the chain-of-command issues Chairman Duncan Hunter has raised have been resolved so that our war-fighters will not be put at risk. Unfortunately, even with these improvements, the current bill is woefully incomplete and one I cannot support.

"Americans deserve a complete bill so that we can prevent another 9/11 from occurring. Border security and immigration reform are vital components of our homeland security efforts, so why are they not included in this legislation? The time to address these issues is now, not next month, not next year. Hollow promises of future consideration are just that - hollow promises.

"Terrorists have exploited vulnerabilities in our asylum system and in the issuance of driver's licenses. This bill fails to include the strong provisions in the House bill because my Senate colleagues found them 'too controversial.' That's unfortunate, because their refusal to consider these security provisions on their merits will keep Americans unnecessarily at risk.

"I said two weeks ago that the Senate was hell-bent on ensuring that illegal aliens can receive driver's licenses, regardless of the security concerns. This Sept. 10th mentality in a post-Sept. 11th world is unwise and among those I intend to rectify next year."

(PRNewsWire)

Editor's note: