At a packed Austin Club breakfast today, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn gave Austin Economic Club members and their guests his insight into some of the biggest issues in Washington D.C. – the economy, hurricane relief efforts, immigration reform, and the upcoming confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

As the only Texan on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Cornyn said, “I will be doing everything I can to assist Harriet Miers.”  The senator said he thought some people weren’t giving Ms. Miers credit for her many accomplishments.  “If she had broken the glass ceiling time and time again in another state, they would be looking at her in a different way,” he said.  The Miers hearings should begin on or about December 7th, he said.

Sen. Cornyn said the American economy is doing very well, in spite of several downturns in recent years.  “The American economy and the American people are amazingly resilient,” Sen. Cornyn said.

An example of that resiliency can be seen along the Texas Gulf Coast, Sen. Cornyn said, where he has traveled three times since Hurricane Rita struck.  “Fellow Texans are hurting.  There’s a lot of recovery that needs to take place, but they’re getting back on their feet, and they will be back stronger than ever.”  To help future disaster recovery efforts, Sen. Cornyn has filed legislation to protect good Samaritans from potential lawsuits.  His bill is modeled after a Texas law already in statute.

Sen. Cornyn also addressed the issue of border security and immigration policy, which he called “the third rail of politics” because of its controversial nature.  Sen. Cornyn supports the deployment of 10,000 border patrol agents, but he also supports a temporary worker program.  For more information on Sen. Cornyn’s Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act, please see http://cornyn.senate.gov/.

Sen. Cornyn spoke to the Austin Economic Club as part of its 2005 Distinguished Lecture Series.