Why it Matters

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) focused on immigration enforcement, college sports legislation and Missouri agriculture in the days leading into the Senate’s August recess.

Schmitt took several actions before the recess. He blocked a Senate bill that would have permanently closed a federal immigration detention facility in New Jersey, urged the Department of Labor to reform the permanent labor certification process and attended Delta Days in Southeast Missouri, an agricultural event in one of the state’s most productive farming regions.

What They're Talking About

Immigration dominated Schmitt’s public output. On the Senate floor, he objected to the Delaney Hall Closure Act, which would have shut down an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark following the death of a detainee there. “It does not hire a single doctor. It does not add a single nurse. It does not require a single inspection. It simply orders the Department of Homeland Security to close Delaney Hall, cancel its contract, and permanently forbid ICE from using the facility again,” Schmitt said in remarks. “That is abolition with a short title.”

Separately, Schmitt sent a letter to the Department of Labor urging an overhaul of the Program Electronic Review Management labor certification process, known as PERM, arguing that companies use the program to bypass American workers. “Abuse of the PERM and H-1B programs allow corporations to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor,” he wrote.

College sports was another major focus. Schmitt helped craft the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chris Coons (D-DE). The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the legislation 19-9 in June. The bill would establish national standards governing areas including name, image and likeness rights, transfers, eligibility and enforcement while allowing conferences to pool media rights.

“With mounting financial pressure, a lack of eligibility rules, and a chaotic transfer portal, college sports are on the brink of collapse,” Schmitt posted. “If we don't pass our Protect College Sports Act, opportunities for women and Olympic-sport athletes could disappear.”

On Missouri’s 205th Statehood Day, Schmitt visited the Bootheel for Delta Days, saying it was “great to be at Delta Days & hear about the cutting-edge research being done to support MO ag.”

In the News

Schmitt drew coverage on five fronts this week. KTUL reported he called Biden's immigration policies "radical" after a stabbing in O'Fallon, Missouri, in which ICE identified the suspect as an undocumented immigrant. Fox News covered the collapse of the college sports vote.

The Independent Journal Review noted Schmitt was among 14 Republican senators who called for canceling the August recess to pass the SAVE America Act, an election security bill, though the Senate ultimately left town without acting on it.

The Mirror US and Daily Express US covered Schmitt's defense of President Trump against golf cheating accusations, with TMZ reporting Schmitt called Trump "shockingly good at golf."

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